The Journey to Aquaman
by Hybrid Demon of Dreams
Summary: Princess Karphernie lives an idyllic life in her undersea kingdom of Solaria. But when the hybrid Atlantean monster Rune threatens the peace, she must go on a dangerous journey to find the superhero Aquaman, king of Atlantis, in order to stop the brute before he endangers everyone in both land and sea. Loosly based on the DC comics.
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

_We all live in a world where everyone is in need of a superhero. Some of us admire them, some of us wanted to be just like them and some of us grew to despise them. To each one's own. We all have a favorite superhero to look up to. They are the symbols of hope and the living embodiments of justice. They can inspire us to do something greater within ourselves and there's quite a few who helps delude our idealism. Of course there will be no yin without their yang. Metaphorically speaking, this means that being a hero has its downfalls. Some of which means that the more people they will try to help, rescue and save, the more enemies they'll make. As the opposite of heroism, there will be villainy. Those who'll use their powers for evil. They will inflict harm onto anyone, regardless whether they are heroes or not. If not for making the world a better place, the villains will either reshape the world into their own image or destroy it. Our superheroes will never allow them to have their way. Most of the villains are just petty criminals. So they don't put up much of a challenge for the surperheroes to say in the least. But there are much worst foes who can go toe to toe with the strongest, bravest and even the most powerful superhero in the world, if not the universe itself. Nevertheless, it is what they're here for. They fight for those who can't fight for themselves. They fight to defend a place they now call home. But most of all, they will fight for what's right and protect other people, regardless of race, sexuality, religion or even other species. The most famous group of superheroes in the world is the Justice League, which includes the legendary Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash and many others. We all know their stories very well. However, there is a few more other stories awaiting to be discovered. We all know the story of Aquaman. He is a half human, half Atlantean. His mother is Queen Atlanna of Atlantis and his father is a lighthouse keeper named Thomas Curry. Throughout the unknown union, our aquatic hero is born under the name Arthur Curry, although it is originally Orion. He grew up his whole life, communicating with fish and other sea life. Not only that, he can also breathe underwater. But because of his gifted abilities, he never quite fit in with other people. He thought he was alone with his powers, until a beautiful Atlantean princess named Mera came into his life. She convinced him to come home to the kingdom of Atlantis and take his rightful place on the throne. He didn't want to believe her at first and foremost. Despite of all the complicated circumstances, Arthur ventured with Mera on a breathtaking journey to retrieve King Atlan's powerful trident. With the golden weapon in his hand, Arthur can command the seven seas and all of the oceans' creatures at will. Thus he became the superhero, Aquaman. Now he's ready to claim his throne. For years, he has fought alongside with his fellow Justice League members against all evil. Then he married princess Mera and she became his queen. Together, they both ruled Atlantis at fairer __hands. All the subjects adored them, except for their enemies who have challenged them. Some evil opposers wanted them dead. But still going strong, Aquaman and Mera stood by each other as they fought their opponents for many years. Nobody can take the throne away from the power couple. So from the days forward, Aquaman is not only the champion of justice and a king of Atlantis, but rather a bridge to both the lands and the seas. Although his story continues to be written, he, however, has a part of the story that is yet to be told. In fact, there is another aquatic figurine. A royal heroine and her companions dared to venture beyond the waters and into utter danger, just to find him. This is the untold story of the unsung heroes from the northeast Pacific Ocean. This is where it all begins..._


	2. Chapter 1: Solaria of the Pacific

**_Chapter 1: Solaria of the Pacific_**

Far out in the northeastern Pacific waters, several fathoms deep, there lies a hidden kingdom even more rarer than the mythical Atlantis itself. And just like Atlantis, this rare kingdom also runs on the same aquatic technology, only differently. Not only by saltwater, but the solar rays of the sun upon the surface of the ocean. With the sun's light, the kingdom will shine as bright as the star itself. Thus it'll keep their creatures warm and protected all night long. Because of their rare technology, that's how the kingdom got its name; Solaria. It is home to all of the rarest creatures that has ever lived. Some are hybrids, some are highly evolved. And some are even highborns. Quite as similar to the Atlanteans, these creatures adapted to the environment long after the civilizations are lost to the sea. Since the golden age, they all became one with the fishes and other marine life. They grew gills, webbed hands and feet. Some keep their legs while others fused into long tails with fins of a fish. Some others have a lower half of a jellyfish. And there are many more. These rare aquatic creatures are to be known as the meravins. Half people, half sea life. Quite as similar as the fabled merfolk, but they're more advanced than a fairy tale counterparts. The kingdom of Solaria is populated by over 130,356,000 billion people of the sea. The meravin kings and queens of the past ruled the kingdom with sheer strength, raw power and fairness. For thousands of years, they defended their nation from outside threats. They have the most powerful army to fight against whom and whatever threatens their homeland. With over five hundredths of the finest male meravins, their armies are easily undefeated for no opposing outsiders could penetrate through the alpha males. Those who have tried and failed. Solaria remains a stronghold sanctuary for refugees and immigrating creatures alike, all who have come to live the life one could ever dream of. It is like a paradise as well as the colony of countless opportunities. Their kings and queens of Solaria are adored by their subjects for many years. Now it is ruled by the current King Karpannus. He uses his power to ensure the safety of his people. The mighty sea king lives in a marvelous luminous castle, along with his sister and six children. Three sons, three daughters. The mother who is the queen of the court, unfortunately passed away, due to her illness during her last pregnancy. So the king's sister, the countess moves into the palace and help her brother raise his children. The years have come and gone. Underneath the Pacific waves, Solaria still remains the same as the ocean's most beautiful kingdom. And all of the meravins are living their lives, doing their jobs and other daily things. The little youths play with each other from time to time. The adults are taking care of their own businesses on the westbound district. Nevertheless, they all enjoy the most carefree and happiest lives in the luminous kingdom. Although that were to be the case, there is one meravin who stood out from the rest. A feminine figure who is swimming outside of the Solarian perimeter. She is depicted to have scales all over her body, blending with her soft colored skin as radiant as the pearl. On her head are tiny long fins that almost looks like as if her hybrid hair. An ombré fusion from a dark red to a brighter red. From the waist down, she has no legs nor feet. The young woman's body ended in a long fish's tail. Complete with a bioluminescent light on her blue and green scales, dorsal fins on the back of her tail that acts as a flowing gown piece, along with bright fluorescent hot pink jellyfishes onto them. She has aqua blue eyes that can help her see in the dark. That beautiful meravin is named Karphernie, in which her name means "Carp". She is the youngest daughter of King Karpannus and the 6th princess of Solaria. Whenever she is not on her royal princess duties, Karphernie spends so much time swimming out to the open waters. Even though her father had warned his children, time and time again, to never go anywhere outside of the kingdom's perimeters. Further into the outer oceans, Karphernie stumble upon a broken vessel that happens to be one of the navy's ships. This sight peeks her curiosity as she swam closer to the abandoned wreckage. As she hovers through the floating debris, then suddenly, the sound of two voices calling out her name. It was her little friends, Uriel the cuttlefish and Phyllis the saltwater fairy fish.

"Hey, Karphernie! Wait for us!" Phyllis shouts from afar.

The meravin princess turns to notice her friends catching up with her.

"Well it took you guys long enough." says Karphernie. "I was beginning to think that you two have gotten lost."

"Well do you have any idea how fast you were swimming?" whined Uriel.

"I'm sorry, Uriel." says Karphernie, petting her friends. "I can't help it. I get so excited when I see new things on the ocean floor. So I had to check them out."

"Speaking of which, wouldn't your father and aunt flip out if they knew you've been sneaking out to the open waters, despite of their warnings?" said Phyllis, wondering.

"Oh Phyllis. You needn't worry too much about that." said Karphernie, shrugging her shoulders. "What they don't know, wouldn't hurt them. Besides, I've never been inside one of these vessels before. I wonder what's inside of there."

"I don't know, Karphernie." said Uriel, shaking a bit. "It looks really dampen in there. So dark and murky. What if there's scary monsters living in the wreck?

"You know, I'm with Uriel on this one." says Phyllis as she sides with Uriel. "There can be terrifying predators awaiting for the chance to strike us at any given moment. Or even worse, pollution. Yeah, the kind of toxins that makes us very sick."

"Oooh the thought about that make my stomachs churn already." Uriel says, groaning.

Karphernie shook her head. She turns to the entrance before she utters a friendly ultimatum.

"Okay then. If you two insist." said Karphernie, facing her friends before entering the shipwreck. "But I'm going to check out what's inside. You guys can be my lookouts. So let me know if you spot a leviathan. Ok?"

"Ok!" Uriel and Phyllis respond in unison.

The princess swam into the wreckage, leaving her friends outside. But it is not long before they came to realization that she mentions leviathans. They panicked sporadically for they feared the legendary sea monster.

"What?! Leviathan?!" Uriel quivered.

"Karphernie! That's not funny!" shouted Phyllis.

The two creatures swam into the military shipwreck. Once inside of the abandoned vessel, they caught up with Karphernie as she was exploring the pitch black corridors. She found a few items left behind in the ducts. Fascinated by the items, Karphernie took her time examining each one. She accidentally touched the red things that turned out to be flares. Surprisingly, they still work after being underwater for a long period of time. As the flares lite up the room, there were countless bodies of drowned sailors and navy seals floating around. The sight of them startled Uriel and Phyllis more than it did with Karphernie. Not only that, she notice a navy seal's body pinned onto the wall with a black dagger in his suit. The young princess swam towards the body. Then she pulled the dagger out from the dead soldier's suit. To her knowledge, it looks like the ship have been attacked three months ago. And by pirates no less. From the manta ray symbol on the dagger, it belongs to the leader of the pirates; Black Manta himself. Although she knows nothing about him or his whereabouts, Karphernie felt the need to collect the dagger because of its shiny coating. With one flare in her hand, Karphernie and her friends ventured further into the shipyard. Whilst navigating through the ambient hallway, they found more dead bodies floating around in the abyss. Uriel and Phyllis are easily frightened by the mysterious onslaught. So the two creatures stayed close to the light of the jellyfishes on Karphernie's dorsal fins. Karphernie, although a little fearful, screw her courage into the sticking place as she come across a large iron doors at the bottom of the floor. These doors could not be open for it requires a tight access from the military personnel. Luckily for them, a body happens to float by their side aimlessly. Karphernie took the identification card clipped to the personnel's clothing. Then she placed the card onto the scanner. It works briefly for a minute, but the doors abruptly stops. Thus leaving a gapped opening for the little meravin and her friends to slipped right through. They were not prepared for what they saw next. Thanks to her bioluminescent light and the jellyfishes for embellishments, Karphernie and her friends have found themselves in a broken laboratory hidden inside of the shipwreck. What they've found, truly disturbs them to the core. On their other side of the quarantine bay, there are tombs filled with liquid substances and gigantic bodies. Particularly male experimental tests subjects. Some are human, others are different species. Quite a few of them are Atlanteans. Karphernie gaze at the one giant male body in stasis. He appears to be a monstrous Atlantean created by the twisted minds of the scientists who meddled with ancient technology. Upon laying eyes on his face, she became horrified.

"Oh by the sea gods! What is going on here?" Karphernie uttered quietly. "What are those things inside of these tombs?"

Suddenly, a flash of light flickers in another section. Uriel cannot believe in what he is seeing.

"Karphernie! You got to come see this! Quick!" Uriel calls out to her.

The meravin princess rushes to the cuttlefish as he directs her into a room full of computer monitors. Despite of being underwater for three months, the computers were still functional, although broken and slightly malfunctioning. On the cracked screens, it appears to be showing numerous video vlogs recorded by one of the mad scientists who turned on his superiors and is now working for the enemies of the Justice League. He recorded everything in the labs. He said that he is working on analyzing the mysterious artifact that were recovered from the battlefield when the Atlantean tyrant, Ocean Master declaring war on the surface. For years, he had decoded the secrets of the Atlantean technology, all the while military officials captured most of the Atlanteans for experimental purposes. Karphernie is horrified by what she is seeing. On another screen shows the scientists performing horrific experiments on unwilling test subjects, Atlanteans included. The results were varied as the effects come into intuition. Only 77% of them died while 38% of the lucky few lived to see their bodies transform into ungodly abominations. Their screams can be heard in the videos. The next video vlog shows the mad scientists being apprehended by the Justice League. In the video, they stopped the mistreatment of the poor unfortunate people. Next video cuts to Batman and the other personnel. And being the brooding dark knight that he is, Batman interrogates the worker for information. After that, the footage show the final scene of Aquaman, freeing most of his loyal subjects from the torturous experimentation. Then on the big monitor in front of her, it shows that the military is transferring the remaining experiments to another branch overseas. But their mission was cut short by Black Manta and his pirates who have taken over the warship. One of the men tried their best to stop them. Displeased with their efforts, Black Manta massacred half of the navy seals on deck. Then he ordered for the ship to be destroyed by explosions, so it'll sink into the Pacific depths. And the video ended in static. Karphernie sank to the floor in utter shock for what she has learned is quite disturbing. She had no idea who these people are and why are they doing such horrible actions on each other. The princess also have never seen people like that before in her life.

"So this is what happened here." Karphernie thought to herself. "I cannot imagine what these innocent souls have to go through. Awfully a lot went on in the abandoned vessel. Now the same poor unfortunate souls have suffered so much. And they became one of these things..."

The meravin princess is lost inside her own thoughts. During the discovery, Uriel and Phyllis were swimming around in the chambers next door to the computer section. As soon as Phyllis stops to stare at the towering figure, then suddenly, the monster frighteningly opens his eyes. His soul piercing glare terrifies the little fairy fish.

"Yelp!" screamed Phyllis as she swam off in fear. "Karphernie!"

The young meravin princess heard her friend's scream.

"Phyllis!?" exclaimed Karphernie, rushing out of the section.

Phyllis swam into Karphernie's arms, sobbing in fear. Karphernie gently calms her fairy fish friends.

"Oh Phyllis, please don't cry." said Karphernie, shushing her friend with grace. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I...I...I saw the scary sea monster... open its...its eyes..." cried Phyllis.

"Shhh. Calm down for me. Ok?" says Karphernie, petting her friend. "Now what about the scary sea monster?"

Then suddenly, a loud thumping noise erupted in the other room. Startled by the sound, Karphernie peeks over her shoulder while comforting Phyllis. Uriel peeks over the shoulder as well. They found where the thumping noise is coming from. It looks like it's coming from the tomb in the middle of the room. The tomb was shaking rapidly before it dislocated from the wires and it tips over to the floor. The impact shatters the thick glass that is containing the thing. Then all of a sudden, the white blob abomination arose from the tomb and it turn to face Karphernie and her friends. Acting upon primal instincts, the disgusting blob of a monster starts to attack them.

"Look out!" shouted Karphernie.

The three dodge the monster's assault. Karphernie grabs her friends and then she swam away. The monstrous abomination begins to chase after her. Now they have to get out of the labs before the monster blob can devour them. During the horrifying pursuit, Karphernie saw the gapped doors up ahead of her. It is the only way out. So without thinking twice about her next move, Karphernie has to rely on her wits and darts swiftly at the doors. The disturbing blob nearly clamped onto her tail fins, had she not evade it's razor sharp jaws. Just as she was closer to the gapped doors, Karphernie holds her little friends tight and she squeeze her body through the gap. She finally has escaped the clutches of the blob. But the crashing impact of the monster's weight cause the labs to collapse, crumble and sank into the abyss below the darkness. The three friends watch the labs disappear further into the dark depths.

"Whew! That was close." remarked Phyllis, feeling a little better.

"Yeah, I'll say. We would've been goners for sure." uttered Uriel.

"I think we've seen enough of this place for the time being." said Karphernie as she turns to the exit above. "Come on, you two. Let's get out of here."

"Absolutely, Karphernie." says Uriel, agreeing with the princess.

"Finally, we're getting out of here and going home." says Phyllis in a relieving glee. "Because I don't want to see another scary monster like that ever again."

With the swish of her long elegant fishtail, Karphernie absconds to the exiting with her friends. While the labs is in ruins, another one of the monstrous experiments who happens to be an towering tall Atlantean, awakens from his stasis. He punches his way through the debris and emerge from the ruinous abyss. He doesn't know anything about his true purpose into coming to life, nor does he care to figure it all out. What matters to him is to destroy everything he can touch with his own bare webbed hands. Without nothing left to lose, the hulking Atlantean hybrid storms his way out of the shipyard. Meanwhile, in the outskirts of Solaria, Karphernie and her friends snuck into the kingdom's waterways undetected. She does this all the time throughout her youth. Once they've entered the marketplace, Karphernie can hear her guards calling out to her. That's when she turns to notice that her father, King Karpannus had his men searching for her.

"Princess Karphernie! Where are you!?" shouted the captain of the guards.

"Your highness! Are you out there!?" one of the guards called out.

In order to avoid detection, Karphernie hid amongst the coral reef building.

"Oh dear sweet Oceania. They must be looking for me." said Karphernie. "I can't let them spot me out here. My father will kill me if he hears word from them that I was outside of the castle."

"I hope you don't get into trouble, Karphernie." says Phyllis.

"We'll just have to get you home safely." said Uriel, being optimistic. "All we need is a little help."

Uriel spots a giant squid passing by the marketplace. Then the cuttlefish has an idea. He sprung out from the hidden area and he talks to the magnificent creature. He persuaded the giant squid into helping him win the affection of the females, only if the giant squid can help them get the princess home safely. The giant squid agrees to the terms and he use his eight arms to cover Karphernie. Now the squid is off to the palace. Just as Uriel has expected. The guards doesn't suspect a thing for they do not know that the giant squid have the princess hidden inside his tentacles. This is not a easy feat for them. It took some doing, but the squid manage to return the princess back to the castle. Karphernie thanked the giant squid for his assistance. And then the giant squid took his leave. She then turns to thank her friends.

"Now I'm home, safe and sound." says Karphernie happily. "And I have you guys to thanks. Please do take care of yourselves, Phyllis. Uriel."

"What are friends for?" Phyllis says in a cheerful manner.

"We'll see you around, Karphernie." said Uriel, bidding her farewell.

Karphernie waves goodbye, seeing her friends off before she calls it a day.

"Goodbye, you two!" Karphernie says from afar.

"Bye!" Phyllis and Uriel said in unison.

As the two little creatures swam away, Karphernie enters the palace. When the palace staff is not paying attention in the slightest, Karphernie snuck her way down the halls and into her chambers. She placed her collections inside of her clamshell chest. Although she glance at the Black Manta dagger for a few minutes.

"I believe this dagger belongs to the black man in a manta suit." Karphernie says to herself, thinking out loud. "But who is he exactly? In fact, who are these people in those videos?"

This just in, her thoughts was interrupted by a regal meravin woman whom has entered her room. It is the countess, Sarankia. The king's sister and Karphernie's aunt.

"Karphernie? Why there you are." said Countess Sarankia.

"Oh! Aunt Sarankia!" says Karphernie as she quickly hid the dagger into the clamshell chest. "I didn't hear you come in."

Well I did knocked for a couple of minutes before entering." says Countess Sarankia. "But where have you been all this time? Your father had his guards out in the downtown district searching for you."

"Oh has he?" said Karphernie as she plays cloy innocently. "Well, um... I was out for a swim. It's nothing too serious, I hope."

"Oh I see." says Countess Sarankia. "Well how about next time, you let me and your father know where you are going? You understand?"

"Yes, Aunt Sarankia." Karphernie replied.

"Now then, I will go and tell your father that you are here in your room." Countess Sarankia said with grace. "You may go join your brothers and sisters at the lounging towers. The staff will fetch you all for dinner shortly."

"Yes, Aunt Sarankia." Karphernie complied as she swims out of her chambers. "I'll see you at dinner."

Karphernie makes her way to the lounging towers, where her siblings are hanging out in the meantime. Once she enters the first tower, she finds her siblings chatting away about mundane things.

"Hey! I'm home!" says Karphernie as she sat next to her eldest brother.

"Hey there, baby sister." greeted Baloou, the eldest brother. "What brings you up here to join us?

"Yeah, I'm with Baloou with this one." said Egan, the third oldest brother. "You rarely hang out with us up here in the towers."

"Aunt Sarankia has send me up here." Karphernie says, playing with her hair. "She will send the staff to come get us when dinner is ready."

"Well I hope they're serving fresh seasonal crunchy meat from the Brine kingdom." said Ondina, the fourth sister. "Oooooh they taste so good! The crab people sure know their way around cooking great food."

"Well I prefer a bowl of kelp salad." says Shara, the second oldest sister. "Must everyone know that I'm on a strict diet. I'm sure you all remember."

"Yeah yeah! We remember that you told us that a hundred times already." pouted Ian, the fifth younger brother.

"Oh Ian! Watch your tongue! That's rude!" snapped Shara.

"Whatever, pre-Madonna drama queen." Ian snickered.

"How dare you!" shouted Shara as she risen from her seat. "I'll show you! I'll make you learn respect!"

"Oooh I'm scared!" teased Ian, swimming backwards. "What are you going to do? Tell dad on me?"

"Alright! Knock it off, you two!" shouted Baloou, defusing their bickering. "Our father wants all of us to be on our best behavior, especially tomorrow."

Shara and Ian both calm themselves down, although they can't seem to stop glaring at each other. As the royal siblings continue their conversation, Karphernie gaze upon the mirror grooming her hair. During that, she can't seem to get the images out of her head. All of the horrific things she seen in the abandoned military vessel on the ocean floor. The monstrous abominations, the footages, the mistreatment of other human beings and species alike. Especially Atlanteans. She is just as frightened of the discovery as much as her friends are. But in the same time, she felt drawn to the unknown creatures herself. She can't help but wanting to know more about the other races and the world outside of Solaria's barrier. As much as she wants to go back out there, she never wanted to encounter such horrid monstrosities ever again. This just then, a handmaiden come knocking on the door. She has come to fetch the princes and princesses for dinner has been served. So Karphernie shook off her suspicions, casts her disturbing thoughts aside and she swam along with her siblings. They've exited the lounging towers with the handmaiden and is now heading to the dining hall. During the time, Karphernie believes that if she stays away from the vessel for now on, the dark secrets will be safe and better off left buried in the rubbish. But little do she know that the hulking Atlantean is on the loose. And he is swimming amok, destroying everything in his path. Nothing can deter his rage, his bitterness and his blackened heart. From where he is swimming on the earth's oceans, Solaria will be next.


	3. Chapter 2: Rune

**_Chapter 2: Rune_**

The next morning arose upon the Pacific waters. The sunlight energize the kingdom's power source, bringing warmth among the civilians and brilliant lit up colors. At the marvelous palace, Karphernie is asleep in her bed when the sun's light brightens her room. She awoke from her slumber, just to get out of her bed and swam towards the window pane. She glances at the beautiful kingdom's townsite from her window. The sight of the luminous buildings always puts a smile on her face. Although in her heart, she still fears of what she discovered in the military shipwreck. No matter how hard she tries to forget the unknown horrors that happened yesterday. But this just in, the meravin handmaidens come knocking on her door before entering.

"Good morning, your highness." says the handmaidens in unison as they bow to her. "Breakfast is ready at the dining hall."

"Oh ok. I'm coming." Karphernie replied as she turns away from her window.

The handmaidens escort their princess to the dining hall. At the conch shell table, Karphernie joins her brothers and sisters as the servants are preparing their morning meal. King Karpannus and Countess Sarankia both has taken their seat at the end of the table. Once the food is on the table, the breakfast is served. The royal family begin to feast on the most important meal of the day. During the morning feast, they chatted away about everything. Shara and Ian continue to get on each other's nerves, despite of Baloou's efforts to defuse their constant bickering. Egan and Ondina were talking about their lifetime goals while they passed the crunchy crab meat down the table. Everyone is happy, except for Karphernie whom is still haunted by the event in the shipwrecked labs. King Karpannus notice that his youngest daughter barely touched her food. The mighty sea king swims to her side.

"Is there something wrong, my dear Karphernie?" King Karpannus asked in discernment.

"Oh! It's nothing, daddy." Karphernie respond in a quiet manner.

"It doesn't look like nothing." says King Karpannus. "You seemed to be troubled by something. Is everything alright?"

"I just had a really bad nightmare." fibbed Karphernie. "A nightmare about mother."

He knew how his daughter felt about never knowing anything of her mother. The powerful king comforts her in reassurance.

"I know you barely knew little of your mother." said King Karpannus. "But I don't want you to feel like she left us without knowing how much she loved you all."

"Yes, Daddy. I know she does." says Karphernie. "I just wish she was here with us."

"As do I, Karphernie." said King Karpannus. "As do I."

Karphernie smiles to hide her fear that is plaguing her heart. King Karpannus returns the same back to her.

"Now eat up, my dear." said King Karpannus. "We have a lot of duties to do today."

"Yes, Daddy." Karphernie complied as she eats her fresh berry kelp.

King Karpannus returns to his seat next to his sister, the countess. Thus the royal family finish their breakfast. After that, the handmaidens dresses the princes and princesses in the chambers across the halls. The princes were all groomed up into the ocean's finest silk, as the princesses too wore the extraordinary silk made of flowers and pearls. Now they are ready to go attend to their duties. In the afternoon, the royal family went on the stroll through the Solarian townsite. Heavily guarded by armed male meravins. The commoners immediately clear the path for the royal family to pass them by. Karphernie and her siblings wave at their subjects. After the long stroll to the gate, the royal family patiently await for the arrival of the Moon-Shade Fishermen from the neighboring kingdom. The security guards opens the gates for the Fishermen mercenaries to have their diplomatic clearance inside of Solarian grounds. There stood the proud King Karpannus and Countess Sarankia, welcoming their neighbors into the kingdom.

"Welcome to Solaria, my friends!" greeted King Karpannus. "Come come! You all must've been very exhausted from your travels. Let us make your stay comfortable and worthwhile."

"Yes, indeed. Thank you, your majesty." says the highest commander of the Fishermen mercenaries.

"Our guards will escort you to the castle with us." reassured Countess Sarankia.

The guards escort the royal family and the mercenaries to the luminous castle. Along the way, a few mercenaries had their eyes on the king's three daughters for they are charmed by their radiant beauty. Ondina is flirting with the tattooed fisherman. Shara is playing hard to get for the others, because of her ideally perfections. And as for Karphernie, all she did was to innocently used her eyes to attract the most respected mercenary in the group. He too acknowledge her hypnotic gaze. Now they all have return to the palace. From there, they've conduct a private audience with King Karpannus and Countess Sarankia in their throne room. During the meeting, the same mercenary cannot stop gazing at Karphernie's rare beauty. She too is gazing back at his charmingly expression. Because of this, all of her hidden fears fades away into nothing but pure heartache. The Fisherman commander request that he and his troops were to receive hospitality, all the while they could gather information as well as their services. King Karpannus agrees to the terms of diplomacy. Thus he allows the Fishermen mercenaries to be stationed at the guests quarters. After the meeting is dismissed, the commander rounds up his troops and they were to be escorted to their stay. The young strong mercenary gazed at Karphernie one last time before he exited with his fellow teammates. Now the royal family continue their duties for the rest of the day. Meanwhile in the guests quarters, the commander have his finest men settle their gears in the chambers before they can prepare for their mission. The same young mercenary whom has his eyes on Karphernie earlier, his name is Ereque. He has been one of the most skilled recruits on the team. Since his preadolescent days, he was trained by his peers in close hand to hand combat, handling state of the art weaponry, following protocols and critical decision making. Although he is well respected by his commander and peers alike, Ereque felt that his heart belongs somewhere else. As much as he enjoys the good times with his Fishermen companions, he has his mind dead set on seeking adventure. Ultimately, he hopes to find his true calling into something greater than himself. He plans to announce his early retirement when his final mission is over. One of the other Fishermen mercenaries swims to his side.

"Hey, Ereque. Are you ready for this?" he asked him.

"Oh you know I was born ready for everything." says Ereque, strapping his hydro guns on his belt.

"Yep, knowing you. One of the best mercenaries in the high seas." said the Fisherman mercenary. "Nothing ever phases you. Not even a prehistoric whale."

"You and your sense of humor, buddy." chuckled Ereque as he pats his comrade's shoulder. "It's going to take more than a prehistoric creature to shake my marble-harden spirit."

"Let us hope you're right, Ereque." said the brute Fisherman. "Because the high commander receive orders from the queen of Fishermen, that there's some disturbing activity happening in the South Pacific waters. We don't know what is going on out there but I had a good idea of what we are all up against. And to give you guys a heads up, it will not be pretty."

"Well all in a reasons why she sent us here in Solaria." remarked Ereque as he loads his big hydro gun with liquid ammunition. "We gain the meravin king's favor. And with his finest army, there's no way whatever it may be, can take all of us down. Or they can die trying."

"Which is why I like you." joked the brute Fisherman. "Always the optimist that you are. Maybe someday, you'll surpass the high commander and then you'll become our leader."

The big mercenary swims off to the other crewmen. Ereque kept his comrade's word in his mind, although he doubts that it is what he wants for his future.

"Yeah, right. As if he would abide to the thought of me being the head hauncho of the crew." Ereque said to himself.

This just in, the high commander enters the guests quarters and he informs his men of their tasks. He announce that King Karpannus has granted them permission to move out. They will proceed with the task at hand to the outer waters of the South Pacific. Their orders are to annihilate the unknown threat that is causing terror in the Pacific Ocean within the past hour. Whatever it is, the thing must be stopped, no matter what the cost. So the fishermen mercenaries geared themselves up for their mission. On the high commander's commands, they all prepared to move out. The Fisherman mercenaries were bid a farewell from the royal family and their subjects. The gates were open for them to exit from the Solarian grounds. Once the gates are closed, the fishy soldiers swish their tails and swam in hydro speed to the outer waters. After a long travel to the southern oceans, they've reached their destination. What they found is a trail of destruction across the ocean floor. Debris floating around everywhere, huge ships were torn apart, drowned bodies of humans sinking into the depths and the unknown suspect is nowhere to be found. The sight of the mess is unsettling but the Fishermen kept their guard up for they may not know what they are up against. One of the mercenaries found a human body impaled on a metal wreckage. He knew that the attack has happened recently, because the dead body appears to be fresh.

"What in Neptune's name is going on here?" uttered the fisherman mercenary.

"This attack is not normal." said the other fisherman merc.

"Stay on your guard, gentlemen!" the high commander said to his soldiers. "Who or whatever is responsible for the death of the surface dwellers, will have to answer to the Moon-shade Fishermen. We will never back down to the enemy, whether they're big or small. So keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious. If you encounter the unknown creature responsible for this mess, treat it like it did with the victims with extreme prejudice."

"YES, SIR!" the men complied to their orders.

The Fishermen swam through the wreckage on the ocean floor. With their moon powered flashlights on their hydro guns, they scowl across the ocean floor in search for the creature who has wrought this much destruction around them. Little do they know that one of them is going to be preyed on by the same creature responsible for the disaster. Perhaps not just a creature, but a man-like figure who is using the shadowy depths for his own cover. From there, he awaits for the right moment to pounce onto his unsuspecting victim. When one of the fisherman mercenaries separates himself from the group, he was suddenly ambushed by the monstrous figure. The mercenary's screams can be heard briefly before the figure ended his life. Alerted by his screams, the aquatic mercenaries rushes to the ends of the wreckage. They couldn't find their missing comrade nor they could save him in time. Then suddenly, a pair of giant webbed hands grabs onto another one. The figure is picking off the Fishermen from the shadows, one by one, in which leaves down to only thirty fishermen. Before the same giant hand can grip onto him, Ereque quickly retaliate by firing his aquatic handgun at the unknown figure. Although it barely hurt him, the monstrous figure backed away for a brief moment. He glares at the young mercenary who fired at him.

"Is that supposed to tickle me?" snarled the figure. "Because I don't feel a thing."

All of the mercenaries flash their lights upon the figure. Thus the creature reveals himself. A towering figure of a man covered in brownish red and gold fish scales all over his muscular body, complete with golden tattoos to match his brooding exterior. He has a head full of spikes and fins, a scar on his face, electric yellow eyes and a thick neck with gills of a tiger shark. He wore nothing else but a pair of black and gold scaly gloves that he borrowed from a dead Atlantean, to match the skin tight leggings of the same black and gold texture. Alongside with grayish fins on the gloves and the long knee guard buckles. Before one of them knew it, that monstrous figure is of the Atlantean experiment. The one who escaped the fallen laboratory a moment ago. He is the one responsible for all of the destruction in his wake. And now he is going to do the same thing to the fishermen. But it didn't take long for the mercenaries to open fire at the brooding monstrosity. Shockingly, it has little affect on him for he remains unscathed. He is nearly as invincible as the famous hero amongst the humans above the waters. Then the hulking Atlantean monster begins to attack the mercenaries. They all tried their best to fight him, but to no avail. He is too powerful for them to take on alone. Not even the most strongest of the bunch are a match for him. The high commander took his shot at the monster Atlantean with everything he has got. Despite of his efforts to eliminate the beast of an Atlantean, the monstrous figure still remains unharmed. He was shocked to his very core and realize that nothing could damage the hulking Atlantean. No state of the art weaponry provided for them, can even wound him. He realizes that he's doomed, the minute he was approached by the creature. On the far left of the wreck, Ereque watch in sheer terror as the hulking Atlantean crushes the high commander, instantly killing him. Angered by what he witnessed, Ereque charges into the fray, screaming on top of his lungs whilst opening fire at the monster. The hydro guns does little damage to him once again. The Atlantean monster is not amused by Ereque's efforts. He grabs hold of Ereque's hands, took his weapons from him and crushed them. From the way he's facing directly down upon him, Ereque knew that he's good as dead.

"I'm done playing around here." says the monster Atlantean in a sinister tone. "You're all weak. You're all not worth my time. I shall be quick to end you, fish boy!"

"What the Neptune are you!?" Ereque shouted in shock.

"Your everlasting nightmare." said the Atlantean monster. "Make of it if you will. Not that it'll matter. Your men are dead! And now you'll join them too!"

The hulking Atlantean punched Ereque towards the wreckage, leaving a hole in the scrap metal. And all of the heavier debris fall on top of him. Then the hulking Atlantean swam away in high speed, leaving the Fishermen for dead. Buried in the debris, Ereque use all of his strength to pull himself out from under the mess. Although he is injured by the assault, Ereque refuses to give up that easily.

"I'm not going down here that easily, you monster." uttered Ereque, under his breath. "I'll avenge my fallen brothers! Just you wait! I will make you pay somehow!"

He took a few minutes to honor his fallen brethren before he resumes his new mission. The strong young mercenary took out his tracker in order to track the Atlantean's trail.

"Now where to find you." whispered Ereque in a rough manner.

It seems that he's heading right towards the kingdom of Solaria. The Fisherman mercenary knew that the meravins will be in grave danger if they were to get in the monster's way. He must hurry to the kingdom as soon as he possibly could. So without a time to waste, Ereque swims in hydro speed towards the northeastern ocean. Meanwhile, in the Solarian kingdom, Karphernie has finished the last of her princess duties. Now she and her siblings can finally relax or go off doing whatever they feel like doing. Karphernie swam to her chamber afterwards, to have time for herself and relax with ease. Then she turns to her clamshell chest. The princess opens the chest and took the Black Manta's dagger out. She lies on her bed, gazing at the weapon. Completely mesmerized by the coating, shimmering in the light upon the manta ray symbol. For hours, Karphernie has gotten lost into her own thoughts once again. In her mind, she keep playing the event over and over again, while she tries to forget about the terrible discovery that day. Then suddenly, her aunt Countess Sarankia knocks on her door.

"Come in!" Karphernie calls out.

The countess has entered the chamber.

"I've come to see how you're doing, sweetheart." says Countess Sarankia.

"I'm fine. But thanks for your kindness, Aunt Sarankia." said Karphernie as she hides the dagger under her pillows.

"Is everything alright, Karphernie?" Countess Sarankia asked her niece.

She turn over to face her aunt.

"Aunt Sarankia, can I ask you something?" says Karphernie in wonderment.

"What is it?" said Countess Sarankia, wondering.

"Do you ever wonder what it's like to be out there?" Karphernie asked.

"Well just a common townsite of course." said Countess Sarankia. "We have been visiting the district a lot of times. And-"

"No, not that." says Karphernie, interrupting her aunt. "I meant, outside of Solaria. Out to the open waters."

"Oh, my dear sweet Karphernie." says Countess Sarankia as she swam over to sit on the girl's bed. "No one has ever been outside of the Solarian perimeter. It is safer to stay within the security walls. May I ask why you are asking me this?"

"Well I just wanted to know why Father wouldn't allow the meravins to leave the kingdom?" Karphernie wondered. "If we can invite other refugees to enter our kingdom walls and let our soldiers leave to fight wars, why can't we all come and go as we please?"

"Oh please try to understand, Karphernie. It's not just your father, it is the forefathers before him." said Countess Sarankia, comforting her niece. "They're the ones who've made the laws to protect our people from all kinds of harm the outer waters has to offer. It has been this way since the dawn of landsmen. When all of the ancient cities have sank into the ocean, we have adapted to our new environment. Like landsmen, we have evolved and become one with the oceans' creatures. So in order for our species to survive, we must look out for our own and protect each other."

"But what about the people who lived above the surface?" Karphernie asked in wonderment. "I know most of them dive in the water for as long as a century. Why are we forbidden to get in contact with them?"

"It's because landsmen are just as terrible as the predators of the sea." said Countess Sarankia. "All they ever done for the past thousand years is to consume and destroy. They bring nothing but harm to each other, inflicting pain towards one another, eat their own animals and poison their own environment. And when they find even the slightest chance of what they will build, they will tear them down."

The regal meravin woman gets up from the bed and hovers at the window pane.

"The landsmen are destructive, merciless, barbaric creatures to ever roam the world above the ocean." Countess Sarankia said in a strong manner. "Now they've brought their destruction to the oceans, polluting our waters for more than a century. Which nearly could've killed us all. It's not just our people, Karphernie. It is all the other species who feel the same way."

"Really, Aunt Sarankia?" Karphernie wondered. "Are they really dangerous than other predatory creatures in the ocean?"

"Yes, my dear." Countess Sarankia answered. "If the landsmen were to go this far to corrupt everything they can touch, all species will band together to foil their conquest."

She then turns from the window to face Karphernie.

"As you may know, dear Karphernie." says Countess Sarankia. "We meravins, as well as the other kingdoms, all may be territorial. But when it comes to a much bigger threat, we all will unite to defend our homes. Now do you understand why you're not to leave your kingdom?"

"Yes, Aunt Sarankia. I understand." Karphernie complied respectfully.

"I suppose I'll leave you to it then." said Countess Sarankia as she swims to the door. "I'm going to be at my studies. I will have the handmaidens come fetch you for dinner within the hour."

"Ok, Aunt Sarankia." says Karphernie.

The countess exits the chamber. Karphernie sat on her bed, thinking about what her aunt said about the world above the ocean. Although she remembers the event that nearly could've gotten her and her friends killed, Karphernie felt that she is drawn to the mysteries regarding the superheroes in the memoirs. She wants to know more about them. Whatever it is that they're trying to stop, it seems like the scientists are using their research to create monsters out of abused people. Human, Atlantean or other species. This just in, She can hear her friends calling out her name. It is Uriel and Phyllis who came to see her.

"Hello, Karphernie!" greeted Phyllis happily.

"Hey! Phyllis and I are wondering how you're doing." said Uriel. "So we thought we come by to check on ya."

"Well I'm doing okay, I guess." replied Karphernie. "But I'm happy to see you guys. What's up?"

"Oh boy, do we have something to tell you!?" boasted Uriel with glee.

"Oh really?" says Karphernie as she invites them into her room. "Please do come in."

The two little creatures enter the princess's window. Meanwhile, on the northern side of the wall, the security officials were all on the protocol. They all are awaiting for the return of the Moon-shade Fishermen when they went on their mission earlier. But instead of the Fishermen returning to the kingdom, they are soon to be greeted by an unknown creature making his way to the gateway. An unexpected, yet unwanted figure appearing in the radar and he's coming to Solaria in high speed. This phenomenon gives the guards little time to prepare for the incoming assault. Before they can do anything, the figure rams his way to the gateway, penetrating through even the strongest security walls. Thus causing an explosion sound to startle the aquatic civilians. From her window, Karphernie also heard the explosive noise. She and her friends notice that the gateway has been penetrated. The intruder has invaded the townsite district. The entire kingdom went into high alert, enticing everyone to seek a nearby shelter where they will be safe. The hulking Atlantean finds himself in a colorful environment with the sun's light that energize the whole colony.

"So much colors here." grumbled the monster Atlantean in utter disgust. "It sickens me."

"HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!" bellowed the guards, surrounding the huge man.

"Fine! I'll play with you, boys!" yelled the brooding Atlantean. "But I must warn you all, I don't play nice."

He use his power to bring down all the meravin guardsmen. They did their best to try to apprehend him, but not even they stood a chance against the monster man. His bellowing howls terrorize the meravins in the town district. After the battle with the guards, he has his eyes set on the castle. He figures that if he attacks the castle, he'll terrorize the king and his family. So the hulking Atlantean makes his way to the luminous castle. After he has left the scene, Ereque arrives at the broken wall, only to find even more destruction at the foot of the district. He knew he was too late. The young mercenary swam to the guard's aid.

"Are you alright?" Ereque asked the injured guard. "Please talk to me!"

"We...we...were under attack..." the guard answered, although coughing in anguishing pain. "That gigantic beast thing just came...out...of...nowhere. And we got...our...tails...handed to us."

"Do you know where he is heading to!?" Ereque asked in a urgent manner.

"He's going to the castle..." says the guard in a weak voice. "The king and his family...are... in...trouble."

"Damn! I gotta hurry!" grunted Ereque.

The young Moon-shade Fisherman hurries off to the castle. Meanwhile on the inside of the palace, the guards rushes to the huge doors in tight formation. They prepare themselves for the worse that is yet to come. King Karpannus readies his sharp trident as he instructed his guards to stand their ground. Countess Sarankia and the handmaidens went to gather the princes and princesses. Then suddenly, the doors were busted open, injuring the meravin guardsmen. The hulking Atlantean hovers his way inside the palace. King Karpannus prepares himself for battle. The two strong men were face to face in the middle of the throne room.

"So you're the king of the castle, huh?" snarled the hulking Atlantean, cracking his knuckles. "I don't know you personally, but I'm looking forward to this kind of challenge. Let's see how strong you are against me!"

"I don't know what you came here for, but you'll go no further!" shouted King Karpannus, pointing his trident at the beast. "You will leave Solaria at once!"

"And if I refuse to do that, old man!?" the monster growled.

"Then you shall taste the blades of my wrath!" King Karpannus shouted as he makes his assault first.

The hulking Atlantean grins as he too charges at the sea king. The two mighty men fought harder like nothing that anyone has ever witnessed before. Like a warrior in his time, King Karpannus used his skills to fend off the Atlantean beast. He buys his family time to swim towards a safer place within the castle. Although he had the upper hand in this combat, the hulking Atlantean overwhelms the king by unleashing his brutal power and creating a massive shockwave. His power shaken the castle, nearly endangering the palace staff. At the mist of the battle, King Karpannus sank to the floor at the Atlantean's big webbed bare feet.

"You're weak, old man!" bellowed the hulking Atlantean, triumphantly. "Your men are weak! You're all weak! Now I will destroy you, right after I dealt with your family!"

"No! You will leave my family out of this!" yelled King Karpannus out of pain.

"I will not!" the monster man yelled back. "And I'm going to find them now!"

He raids the palace in high speed. No walls can stop him from coming after the royal family. In the safer chambers in the east wing, Countess Sarankia took the kids further down the safe passageway towards the safe. Once they are barricaded inside with a few guardsmen, Countess Sarankia makes sure to double check her nephews and nieces. They're all here with her, except for one more niece. Karphernie isn't with them. She's still up there when the battle is brewing. Before the countess could order the guards to go search for the youngest princess, then all of a sudden, the monster's big hands came bursting through the wall and grabs hold of the woman. The princes tries to help their aunt but to no avail.

"I found you!" snarled the brooding man.

"Let go of me, you scoundrel!" Countess Sarankia demanded.

"Or you'll do what!?" teased the Atlantean as he wraps the countess up in steel. "I'll destroy you, whether you like it or not!"

"You leave our aunt alone!" Egan shouts as he tries to fight him.

"Oh shut up!" growled the Atlantean as he smacks the prince to the ground. "You all will be joining her real soon!"

From the hallway, Karphernie can hear her sisters screams from the ends of the halls. She and her friends rushed to the safe chambers, where they found the towering sea monster trapping her family. Baloou notice that his sister is right behind the male beast.

"Karphernie! Get out of here!" shouted Baloou, out of fear for his sister.

"Swim away, little sister!" Ondina screamed.

The hulking Atlantean turns around and glares frighteningly at her. Karphernie's heart sank the minute she looks back at his soul piercing eyes. It wasn't long before Karphernie and her friends quickly swam away. Thence leaving him to chase after her.

"Where do you think you're going, little princess!?" shouted the hulking Atlantean as he swims after Karphernie. "You can't outswim me! I'll catch up to you!"

Karphernie and her friends swam as fast as they could for the big Atlantean monster is on their tail.

"Yikes! He's ganging on us!" screamed Phyllis.

"That's worse than being chase by a tiger shark." remarked Uriel in fear.

"Come on, you two!" Karphernie shouted in fear. "We have to get away from him!"

The Atlantean chased the meravin princess and her friends outside of the palace. Ereque arrives at the foot of the castle's entry, only to find more guards on the ground right next to their king. Then he turns to notice that the hulking Atlantean is chasing after Karphernie. He has to go save her before she ends up getting killed by the raging manly beast. Upon exiting the damaged castle walls, Ereque sees a fighter ship nearby, made by the Solarian technology and it is used for fighting wars. The strong young mercenary knows what he has to do. In the downtown district, the monster burst himself through the buildings, endangering the other meravins in his pursuit of Karphernie. During the frightening ordeal, Karphernie and her friends tries to evade him as much as possible. They hid behind the abandoned building in hopes that he wouldn't find them there. Or so they thought. As they were about to come out of the ruin, he suddenly surprise them by smashing into the rubbish. The man cornered the three creatures. They have nowhere to swim to, because he is blocking their escape. Karphernie, Uriel and Phyllis find themselves backing up to the wall, paralyzed in fear of the Atlantean towering above them. Then nothingness becomes inevitable.

"Hiding from me won't do you any good." the monster man snickered.

"Why are you doing this?" cried Karphernie, holding her friends closer to herself.

"You asked me why I'm doing this?" teased the hulking Atlantean. "It's just because I can. And I will destroy everything you cherish so much. What will be left of the ocean world is nothing! If I wanted to, I will make you watch the world crumble and I will enjoy seeing you suffer. Then I can allow you to join the fallen afterwards."

"You are mad!" cried Karphernie. "You enjoy causing grief and sorrow? Pain and suffering?"

"That's right, little princess." he said in a sinister voice. "It's all part of the fun of this. I will rip the whole world wide open before you know it! Tell you what? If you and your fishy buddies behave well, I might let you all live. So you guys can have a front row seats."

"You're a monster!" shouted Phyllis.

"Yeah! What she said!" Uriel shouted after her.

"I know I am." said the Atlantean monster man. "Oh perhaps even better. I just thought of a name for myself. So instead of calling me a monster, you can call me by the name 'Rune'!"

He raise his fist up as he was about to pound on them. Then suddenly, a hydroelectric laser blasts him through the ruinous walls. Karphernie looks up at the ship coming down to them. It is Ereque who's piloting the ship. He came to their rescue in the nick of time.

"What are you waiting for? An written invitation?" joked Ereque, briefly. "Get in!"

They quickly swam into the ship. And with the aquatic engines revving up, Ereque operated the ship's coordinates to swim away from the fray. Rune bust himself out of the rubble and then chase after the ship in high speed. Ereque maneuvers the ship into tight quarters in order to shake Rune off their trail. But this is no easy task. The only way they can escape his grasp is to go through the security waterways. Ereque puts the ship in full maneuver mode and zooms to the opening duct. Rune nearly clamps onto the ship piece. The young Fisherman has to time his maneuvering right and make it into the waterways before the duct closes it for good. Karphernie and her friends clinging onto the seat for their lives. Rune is closing in on them behind their ship. When the time is neigh, they made it inside the duct, just in time before it closed on Rune. They escaped him and his relentless rampage. Angered by their escape, Rune pounds on the iron door out of frustration and in a fit of rage.

"You cannot escape me!" roared Rune. "I will hunt you down! I will find you! Mock my words!"

Rune lets out a menacing roar so loud, the entire ocean floor can hear him. Inside of the Solarian waterways, Ereque steers the fighter ship whilst navigating through the sea current. Both Uriel and Phyllis were relieved that it is over, for now. Karphernie turns to the brave mercenary.

"Thank you for saving our lives back there." says Karphernie, showing her gratitude to him.

"You're welcome, your highness." Ereque replied with a smile.

"Please, you can just call me Karphernie." the princess suggested.

"Now that is a pretty name." says Ereque as he too introduced himself. "Well, Karphernie, I'm Ereque. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. Well at least, under a very unpleasant circumstances."

"Likewise." chuckled Karphernie as she comforts her little friends. "So what is that monster back there? Or who is he?"

"Your guess is good as mine." said Ereque. "Whoever he is, or whatever he is, he really did a number on every one creature on the ocean floor. He killed my Fishermen brethren, right in front of me."

"Oh by the ocean gods! He killed your men too?" Karphernie asked Ereque.

"Yes he did." answered Ereque. "Luckily, nobody else in your kingdom haven't got hurt by him. But I have the slightest feeling that he is not done yet. He is just getting started."

"His name is Rune." Karphernie said as she remembers his name. "That is what he wants everyone to call him."

"Okay. Rune that is." said Ereque as he went on. "Well whatever his endgame may be, I say we're all dead either way."

"Uriel and Phyllis eavesdrop on their conversation.

"So is there a way to stop him?" questioned Phyllis.

"I have a really good idea on that." said Ereque. "I could be wrong, but I believe that the only one who can stop him is the king of Atlantis himself; Aquaman."

The meravin princess heard of the superhero's name from the time before.

"Aquaman, King of Atlantis!?" exclaimed Karphernie.

"You've heard of him?" Ereque questioned the princess.

"I've heard so many stories about him." said Karphernie. "Can he help us?"

"He's gonna have to." remarked Ereque. "Because Rune won't stop. He'll keep going until everything as we know it, is destroyed by him. Aquaman will help save us all. I believe that he will. Because if anyone can stop Rune, it's got to be him."

"I'd say it is worth the shot." said Uriel, chiming in. "I mean, he has the golden trident of the first king, Atlan. So maybe, he could take down Rune once and for all."

"So where can we find Aquaman?" Karphernie asked in wonderment.

"The usual place, Princess Karphernie." said Ereque in a strong manner. "The kingdom of Atlantis. That's where he will be. So I hope that you're ready for the trip of a lifetime, princess. Because the Atlantic Ocean is a long road ahead of us."

Karphernie turns to her friends. They both think that it'll be the best if they go to Aquaman for his help. Then Karphernie swallows her pride and comes to realization that she must journey with the handsome mercenary to the kingdom of Atlantis. She must embark on this quest, not just because she wanted to see other places that she's never been before, but mainly for a chance of saving her people and other creatures from the brutal clutches of Rune. The ship reaches the end of the waterways and they are now entering the outer waters of the Pacific Ocean. With the help of a pod of blue whales guiding the young adventurers to their destination, Ereque puts the ship on autopilot while he relax. Karphernie gaze out of the window, amazed by the scenery surrounding the ship. The blue whale peeks its eye on the princess. The sight easily frightens Uriel and Phyllis, but Karphernie wasn't frightened at all. She is captivated by the phenomenal encounter with the baby whale. Thus their journey continues on for they must face a greater obstacle more dangerous than the other predators of the ocean world. And the unconventional wrath of Rune himself.


	4. Chapter 3: The Seaside Town In Seattle

**_Chapter 3: The Seaside Town In Seattle_**

The big blue whales guide the young adventurers on a long journey due east of the ocean. While the fighter ship is still on autopilot, Ereque tinkers with his guns. He is repairing the sea salt particles that were damaged due to the fight with Rune. The blue whales sang their lullabies to their young. Although their song is meant for the baby whales, the soothing melody puts Karphernie and her friends to sleep. Ereque smiled for he knows that the young beautiful princess is resting in her seat. Phyllis and Uriel were too sleeping in her arms, peacefully quiet as does she. The Fisherman mercenary continues to work on his weaponry. Thus the journey continues onward throughout the night. Morning arose upon the surface of the ocean. Ereque has awaken to the sound of the ship's radar. It seems that they are heading to an opening aisles of the Washington state. The blue whales had lead them to the seaside townsite of Seattle. After that, the blue whales bid them a farewell and they all have swam away. Now all Ereque has to do is hide the ship somewhere in the Elliott Bay. The sunken cargo seems like a safe place to put the ship into. So he drove the ship into the sunken cargo. Then he turn to wake the princess and her friends.

"Karphernie, wake up! We're here!" said Ereque as he gently shakes her.

Karphernie awoken from her restful slumber as does her tiny fishy friends.

"Morning already?" says Phyllis, yawning.

"I can go for a yummy breakfast right now." said Uriel, stretching his little tentacles.

The little meravin princess notice her new surroundings.

"Where are we?" she wondered.

"We are here, in a place the land dwelling humans call Seattle." said Ereque.

"Seattle? I never heard of that place before." Karphernie added.

"Well you do now." joked Ereque, briefly. "And that is exactly where we are going."

"But why are we going up there?" Karphernie asked.

"It's because Rune won't find us up on land." Ereque answered as he gathers his equipment. "To me, it is a safe bet."

"But I thought we were going to Atlantis?" says Karphernie in confusion.

"Oh we are, Karphernie." says Ereque. "But we are taking a safe route to the Atlantic. The road is long, but it is safe. All you have to do is follow my league."

Karphernie agrees to follow Ereque's league as he opens the ship's shield. They all swim out of the cargo. Uriel and Phyllis were to tag along, but Ereque thought of the circumstances otherwise.

"I'm going to need you two to stay here." Ereque commanded.

"WHAT!?" Uriel and Phyllis shout in unison.

"You cannot come with us to the mainlands." said Ereque. "Or else you both will not survive."

"Why not?" pouted Phyllis.

"Because it is dry up there." says Ereque. "And the both of you are not equipped for the task at hand. You're both salt water creatures. Only Karphernie and I have to go on land. You two must stay in the ship, where you will be safe."

"But then, what about our friend Karphernie?" whined Uriel in question.

"It's alright, Uriel. I'll be fine." said Karphernie as she hugs her friends goodbye.

"Oooh we are going to miss you, Karphernie." cried Phyllis.

"Don't worry, Phyllis. As soon as we'll find Aquaman, we will come back for you two." reassured Karphernie. "I promise."

"Ok. We believe you will, Karphernie." says Uriel as he is getting over his grief. "But I can't promise you that I won't stop worrying about you. If any kinds of harm comes to you, King Karpannus will have our heads."

"Hey! No harm will befall on your friend, little one." said Ereque in a strong manner. "As long as she's with me, she is in good hands. I won't let anything dreadful happen to her. You have my word."

"You'd better!" snarled Phyllis out of Karphernie's defense. "Because we are holding onto every word you said, Moon-Shade Fisherman!"

"Yeah! What she said!" said Uriel, chiming in. "Or else you'll be very sorry!"

"Wow! Okay then..." said Ereque in a uncomfortable manner.

Karphernie laughs as she ensures her friends that she will be just fine. Alas the Moon-Shade Fisherman and the Solarian Carp meravin princess starts making their way to the surface.

"We will be back soon." says Karphernie from above.

So the fairy fish and cuttlefish stay behind with the ship in the cargo yard. And with the swish of their fishtails, Karphernie and Ereque ascend to the surface.

"Your friends really don't trust me that much, don't they?" Ereque asked Karphernie.

"Oh they're just only looking out for me." says Karphernie, smiling. "But don't take it personally. They will come around eventually once this is all over."

"Yeah, I believe that." said Ereque.

The two sea beings emerge to the surface of the water. The mercenary urges the princess to tag along as he leaps across the surface like a dolphin. And she too did the same, leaping along with him. From a far away view, a ferry boat is cruising by the bay. The passengers are watching the whales jumping out and into the water. One of the kids spotted Karphernie and Ereque leaping across the surface. The boys went to tug on their parents' arms. The boys told the parents that they think they've spotted a mermaid and a merman. They didn't believe their children for they are just imagining the slightest of things. By the time the boys get back to using their binoculars, the fishy youngsters are long gone. The ferry cruises away into the bay. As for Karphernie and Ereque, they continue swimming onward to the Seattle coastline. They swim underneath the pier whilst hiding out of sight of the humans. Karphernie became ecstatic for she has never been to the surface, let alone, seen land dwelling humans for the first time. She also has never seen tall shimmering buildings like the space needle in her life. As she is captivated by the new world above the sea, Ereque hides his equipment into the rocks. Then he swims over to her side.

"I've never seen the mainlands like this before." says Karphernie as she is in awe of her discovery. "It's so beautiful up here."

"I have a feeling that you have never been outside of your kingdom before. Right?" asked Ereque.

"Well I have snuck outside of Solaria to the outer oceans." said Karphernie. "But I haven't thought about swimming that close to the surface realm."

"Well, Princess Karphernie. Welcome to Seattle." says Ereque humorously.

The young Fisherman took out a rare gadget from his belt. It is made of an extraordinary oceanic technology from the Fishermen kingdom, used for disguising their soldiers to infiltrate the other colonies. Even from out of the waters. A technical collar for any kinds of sea creatures. Ereque puts the collar around his neck and he gave the spare one to Karphernie.

"Here! Wear this around your neck." Ereque instructed.

"What is this thing?" wondered Karphernie as she glance at the collar.

"It's for an disguise." said Ereque. "Unless you want the human men in black on your tail, I suggest that you keep it on your neck at all times."

"Ok, got it." Karphernie complied as she placed the collar on her neck.

The rare ancient technology has been activated and alas, their transformation begins. Their bodies took on a new form as their appearances has shifted. Their scales turns to smoother skin, mini hybrid fins to real hair, tails splitting into two pairs of legs along with fins fading into bare feet. Karphernie is astonished by her reflection on the surface of the water. She could barely recognize herself as she touches her flawless beautiful smooth face. That is when she knew that she is no longer a meravin. The same goes to Ereque whom too is also no longer a Fisherman. With the use of their strange limbs the humans call "legs", the young mercenary and the princess walks onto the beachfront. The beach goers are all appalled as they're staring at the two youngsters for they were both nude. Especially the men who are checking Karphernie out, which it made her very uncomfortable. Ereque glares at the other men that were eyeballing the princess. Even on the streets, people were still staring at them.

"Um Ereque? I think they are staring at us." Karphernie whispered uncomfortably.

"Just don't pay them any attention and they will leave us be." Ereque said in a tough manner.

So she just ignores them. The two nude adventurers continues to make their way into the city. The people that are staring at them, were all worried about them. So one of the citizens called the police. At the city's most busiest streets, they stumble upon a tight traffic. Karphernie wonders about how to get to the other side of the street. Ereque shows her that the traffic lights are on every corner of the block. When the light is red, they were to stop. When yellow, slow down. And when it is green, they go. Thus allowing the citizens to cross the street. From the other side of the street, a man point the local authorities to the direction of Ereque and Karphernie. The police are walking to them. But then, the light turn green. The people walk across the street. The cars are honking at the two youngsters, startling both Karphernie and Ereque. Then the cops were yelling at them from the other sidewalk.

"Hey! You two! Stop right there!" shouted the cops.

"That's our cue! RUN!" Ereque shouted as he grabbed Karphernie's hand.

They both start to run. And the cops are giving chase after them. Karphernie can feel a strange sensation as she wobbled her legs while running. She could hardly keep up with Ereque who is using his legs perfectly into running fast on land. He turns to her side.

"What's wrong!?" he asked the princess.

"This feels really weird!" Karphernie responded.

"What feels weird?" asked Ereque as he holds onto her hand.

"My strange limbs." says Karphernie, stumbling on her new legs. "They really feel weird when I move like this!"

"They are called legs!" Ereque answered her. "On land, we use them to run!"

"Oh! And then the whole world around us is bouncing!" says Karphernie, panting out of breath.

"That is what we call gravity!" Ereque says as he runs for his life. "We will get used to it eventually!"

The citizens move out of the way, gasping for they've seen a pursuit of two nude youngsters and the cops. Throughout the chase, the two youngsters evade any obstacles that were thrown their way. From jumping over the hedges, evading a group of cyclists, hopping onto moving vehicles and nearly avoiding stereotypical street gangs. And it is all thanks to Ereque's skillfully trained wits. During the pursuit, the cops radioed the station for backup. Thus three more police cars are dispatched to the streets. On the coastal side of town, Karphernie and Ereque are both doing everything they can to escape the police pursuing them in the car. They both have gotten away from them, with the exception of the inner traffic post turning from yellow to red. The cops can't pursue them any further. The princess and the mercenary both thought that they've lost them. But they were wrong. Then suddenly, three police cars sprung out of nowhere, barricading the dead end street to corner the two pairs. Just as Ereque knew it, they are surrounded by the Seattle police.

"Don't move!" shouted the black cop, approaching the young man and young woman.

"You both are under arrest for public indecency." said the round belly cop.

"What's public indecency?" questioned Karphernie for she is confused of it all.

"I don't know." replied Ereque.

"Put your hands up!" the cops demanded with their guns ready at hand. "Both of you! Right now!"

And they both did just as they were told. The police are about to place them in handcuffs. But then, Ereque has a plan.

"What should we do now?" Karphernie asked Ereque.

"Don't worry, Princess." Ereque says with a smirk on his face. "I have a plan to get us out of this mess. But you're gonna have to trust me."

"Oh ok. I trust you." Karphernie replied.

Ereque snuck a handful of squid grenades from his belt pouch. Before the cops can man handle him first, Ereque threw his squid grenades at the cops. Then suddenly, the squid grenades exploded and it caused a smokescreen. The attempt robbed the police blind long enough for Karphernie and Ereque to make their desperate escape. Alas they were nowhere to be seen. On the fishing dockside, the human fishermen were taking a break from fishing on the bay. Ereque led Karphernie into the backyard of the house. He knew that they both have to find some clothes to put on, so they won't attract any unwanted attention from bystanders. Luckily for them, there is a line of fresh dry clothes hanging in front of the two outcasts. The tough mercenary snatch up a few clothes for himself and Karphernie to wear.

"Here, put these on your body." said Ereque, handing the princess some clothing.

"What for?" Karphernie wondered, gazing at the pieces of clothes.

"In order to blend in with the humans, you have to dress like one." says Ereque as he slips his legs into the jeans.

"Ok, but will this fit on me?" asked Karphernie in question.

"We will make it fit." reassured Ereque, putting on a tank top. "I'm sure of it."

Karphernie has to trust Ereque for he knows exactly what he is doing. After all, that's what he is trained for. So she put on the clothes that was given to her. Then she fastened the jeans with a piece of elastic rope from the liner. Now that they are fully clothed, they must continue to move forward with their quest. After successfully passing through the fishing area unnoticed by the human fishermen, they walk a couple of miles from where they are at the moment. Karphernie turns to Ereque for she never knew so much about the new dry environment than he does.

"Um Ereque? I have to wonder, how do you know what to do when up here in the surface realm?" questioned Karphernie.

"Well as you can guess, I'm a mercenary." said Ereque. "Our Moon-Shade Fishermen brethren learn to adapt to the environment, if the mission calls for it. We are trained to observe the dry landscapes and we used them to our advantage. Besides, I sneaked up to the surface realm all the time."

"Did you really?" wondered Karphernie.

"Yeah, really." said Ereque, smiling.

"Wow! I could've imagine that." says Karphernie, playing with her silky red hair. "So now where are we going?"

"Hopefully someplace to replenish ourselves." remarked Ereque as he uses his tracker. "Maybe we can find a place to rest for a bit. And then we're going to continue our quest."

They both have exited to the street. The two youngsters continue their quest into the city. Meanwhile on the other side of the city, inside of the zoo, there an ocean conservative right next to the sea world. All of the professional staff are training the sea mammals into doing their tricks for the next show. The marine biologist are studying the aquatic habitats as well as the nature of the sea creatures themselves. One of the zookeepers walks into the labs with the employer and other supervisors. They tell the other staff to keep up the good work. Then they went out to the sea lion habitat, where a young woman is feeding the sea lions before her shift is almost over. The young woman is named Erin Brooks. She is a college graduate from her masters degree in her major; marine biology. And now, she is working in the aquatic center at the zoo. One of the sea lions submerge itself from the water, waiting for its treat. Erin fed the sea lion its last treat before she is done for the day.

"There you go, big fella." said Erin as she pets the sea lion. "That'll be all for today."

The sea lion dives back into the water. Erin grabs her bucket and she left the exhibit. One of her supervisors went up to her side.

"So how are the sea lions doing today, Erin?" asked the supervisor.

"They're doing quite okay, sir." answered Erin. "I just fed them fresh fish from the storage room. Every sardine specifically from the trenches off the east coast."

"That's good to know." said the supervisor. "And how's Patsy doing? Has she been fed her daily medication already?"

"Yes sir. I made sure that she gets her medication earlier in the morning." said Erin. "So she should be a healthier girl in twenty four hours."

"Excellent job, Erin. You sure know how to care for these mammals right there." says the supervisor.

"Well I am always happy to help them in any way possible." says Erin in a positive manner. "My life's purpose is to study the oceans habitat and find a way to keep the sea and its creatures healthy. And of course, happier."

"Yeah I can see that." said the supervisor as he examines the sea lions. "It's no wonder why they're always in a cheery mood whenever you're around. I guess they've grown to love a woman's touch, huh?"

"I'm just doing my job, sir." Erin said with a slight chuckle.

"Well your shift is over, Ms. Brooks." the supervisor said as he checks the clock. "You did good work today. So go get clocked out."

"Yes sir." Erin complied as she starts to head out. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." said the supervisor.

Erin went to the women's locker room and changes from her work attire to her casual clothes. Then she goes to clock herself out. She said her goodbyes to the other colleagues while she is on her way out of the zoo. Although her feet is aching all day long, Erin decides to sit on a bench to rest for a little while. Then suddenly, a brown red van pulls up by the corner of the street. Erin recognizes the van for she knew that one of her friends is back from his trip in Sicily. His name is Noah Johnson. And he is a freelance deep sea diver. She is happy to see him as does he.

"Hey, Erin!" shouted Noah from his window.

"Hi, Noah!" Erin replied as she approaches his van. "It's good to see you. How's your trip from Sicily?"

"Ah it was a blast." said Noah. "I'll tell you all about it. You need a ride?"

"Sure! Absolutely!" says Erin as she hops into Noah's van. "My feet have been killing me all day."

"I heard you right here." says Noah as he drive the van away. "So you wanna surprise Julie at her job?"

"Oh she is going to freak out when she sees that you're back." chuckled Erin. "Besides, I am kinda hungry though. And her shift is about to be done. So hopefully she can sneak us some of the best cooked food when we get there."

"Yeah. And maybe we can all hang out at your place." Noah suggested. "Just the three of us, catching up on things, watch a rental movie, the usual stuff."

"I'd like that. But I have to be in bed early." said Erin.

"On a Friday night?" says Noah, jokingly. "Oh come on, Erin."

"You know me, Noah." says Erin, readjusting her ponytail. "I have to work an extra shift tomorrow. Besides, Julie is going to make us watch a Legally Blonde movie anyways. It's one of her favorite chick flick film."

"Oh haha! Gotcha." laughed Noah.

The young man drove his van onto the highway. Erin sets her google map on her phone, getting directions to Maryland's Diner. The place where her best friend works. After a few two miles down the street, they arrive at the diner. They plan to surprise their friend when she is done with her shift. As Noah parks his van, the two friends went into the diner. The place is less crowded whenever the diner is closing. And the employees are about to clock themselves out for their shifts are almost over. One of the waitresses exits the kitchen to hang up her apron. The young woman is named Julie McDames. Before she can clock herself out and call it a day, little do she know that she is in for an unexpected surprise. Two of her best friends are waiting for her by the door. And seeing them has really made her day even better.

"Hey, Julie!" shouted Erin, waving from a room away.

"Oh! Hi, Erin! I didn't know that you stopped by!" Julie exclaimed happily. "How'd you doing?"

"Oh I'm doing okay for myself." says Erin. "But guess who's back from Sicily?"

Julie notice the young man standing right next to Erin. That young man is Noah Johnson. She happily rush to his side and gave him a bear hug.

"Oh my god! Welcome back, Noah." cheered Julie. "It's so good to see you."

"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Julie." said Noah.

"So how's your trip in Sicily going for ya?" Julie asked.

"It is awesome." answered Noah. "I had a blast there. The free scuba diving competition is fierce. I have to compete with the other free divers from across the continent."

"Did you win the competition?" asked Julie.

"Nope. I came in second place." said Noah, shaking his head. "But I'm not fretting over it. There's always a next time, next year and the next competition."

"Ahh I see what you mean." said Julie.

"But other than that, the waters of Sicily are crystal clear." Noah added. "And not to mention that the beaches are quite lovely at this time of year."

"Oh I wanna hear all about it." says Julie.

"Yes of course. But first, do you have any leftovers of the Friday specials from your job?" Erin asked. "The one from before?"

Julie opens her handbag and she hands over the wrapped food to Erin.

"Yep! The same one like before, Erin." says Julie as she hand out another wrapped food to Noah. "I can't believe you actually like this stuff."

"Well Yeah! It is so good!" said Erin, putting the food in her book bag. "That's why I keep nagging at you into sneaking this out from the kitchen when your shift is over."

"Yeah, you always do." chuckled Julie.

"Come on! I'll drive you two back to Erin's place." said Noah.

The young women agreed. Noah opens the door like a gentleman for his lady friends. The young group got into his van. Noah started up his van and then he drove into the street. After a few miles on the road, they chatted away about everything. Noah is sharing his story about his recent scuba diving adventures while he's training for the free diving competitions. Erin and Julie were both intrigued by his life story of his travels. By the time he made a right turn to the next road, they are unaware that they were about to meet an fateful encounter when two young strangers unknowingly cross the street. It was Karphernie and Ereque. The ones who have have gotten a little lost in their search for a comfortable refuge. From a mile away, Noah immediately notices them before he could accidentally runs them over. He quickly hits the breaks. Karphernie gasped as the van abruptly came to a stop. Erin and Julie were both shooked from this close encounter. And being the vigilant mercenary that he is, Ereque swiftly aim his weapon at Noah as he gets out of the van.

"Are you two crazy?!" Noah shouted in utter distress. "I could've ran the both of you over!"

"Don't move, human land dweller!" Ereque shouted back, pointing his hydro gun at Noah.

Frightened for his life, Noah raise his hands up after he noticed the strange weapon in the mercenary's hand. So he calms down a little bit and he tries to defuse the situation.

"Please put the gun down, mister..." Noah says in a shaky voice. "Or whatever it is. Please don't hurt us."

"Well you shouldn't try to kill us with your land beast machine then." said Ereque in a brooding manner.

Erin pokes her head out from the passenger's window.

"Umm is everything alright, Noah?" Erin asked for she is a bit worried.

"Uh... everything is going to be fine, Erin." Noah responded fearfully. "I hope it is anyways..."

Karphernie steps up to defuse the confrontation between the young men.

"There's no need for none of that, please." says Karphernie as she turns to Ereque. "Just lower your weapon, Ereque. They don't seem hostile."

"Are you sure, princess?" asked Ereque out of concern. "They tried to kill us with their land machine creature."

"Uh it is called a van, must you know." said Noah, correcting the vigilant mercenary. "And I didn't mean to run the both of you over, if you two hadn't appear out of nowhere."

"We are so sorry for that, dear kind sir." said Karphernie and she turns to calm Ereque. "Please lower your weapon."

The young brooding mercenary lowers his hydro gun at the princess's gentle command. Then she turns to Noah at the same time both of their stomachs are rumbling.

"Look, kind sir. We didn't mean to intrude on your evening, but we are looking for a place to rest for a little while." said Karphernie in a delicate manner. "As you can see, we've both just got here from the northeast Pacific Ocean. And I'm kinda new here on land. So he's showing me around the place. But we are in desperate need for a place to stay, because we're hungry and tired."

That part of her statement bewildered Noah for he is very skeptical about Karphernie and Ereque coming from the ocean. So he finds it hard to believe her. Erin got out of the van after hearing Karphernie's pleas. Julie watched from her window as Erin makes a suggestion for the two young strangers.

"Well why won't you two come and stay at my house tonight?" says Erin, making her suggestion.

"But Erin!? We don't know them!" Noah winced in suspicion. "They could be drug dealers for all I know. And not to mention that this lady said that they came from the ocean. Don't you think that sounds crazy?"

"Excuse me! We are not drug dealers!" Ereque snapped at Noah.

"And it's true that we came from the ocean." Karphernie added with a smile.

Erin is having a hard time believing everything that Karphernie is saying. But then again, she can bear the thought of leaving them in the streets, starving and have nowhere to go. So she insisted on taking them with the group back to her house. Alas Noah gives into her suggestion.

"Oh alright. Fine!" sighed Noah in utter defeat. "I suppose they can come over with us."

"Thank you so much." says Karphernie in a relieving tone of voice.

"But Julie is going have to make room in the back." added Noah.

So they all have gotten into his van. As they all fasten their seatbelts, Noah resumes driving away a quarter mile to Erin's house. Julie can't seem to stop staring at Ereque's athletic physique, especially the tribal fishermen tattoo on his right arm.

"So who are you supposed to be, you hunky fella?" Julie asked in a flirtatious tone of voice.

"A mercenary from the Fisherman kingdom." Ereque answered awkwardly.

"Uh...right..." says Julie, raising an eyebrow in bewilderment.

And thus, the road continues throughout the night. Karphernie gaze out of the window. She is fascinated by the city's lights for they reminded her of the colorful lights in the kingdom of Solaria. But she also remembers that Rune is there, endangering her family and her people. And if he is not stopped in his tracks, he will destroy everything in his wake. If he were to adapt to the mainlands, the humans won't be safe either. Which is why she and Ereque must find Aquaman. The Atlantean superhero is their only hope and the others as well. But as for now, Karphernie and Ereque will have to replenish themselves at Erin's place. They must tend to their hunger and rest up for tonight. So by the time they arrive at the house, Erin gave them the guests room. She cut the food in half and gives it to the princess. Karphernie thanked the young woman for her hospitality. After they have been fed, Karphernie and Ereque both went to bed long after Erin did the same. Julie and Noah were both downstairs, watching an action hero movie despite of Julie's detest of the film. Thus the night is young. And in the morning shall they wake, the journey to find Aquaman in Atlantis is yet to continue.


	5. Chapter 4: The Chase on Land

**_Chapter 4: The Chase on Land_**

Underneath the Pacific waters, the luminous kingdom of Solaria was once very beautiful, but now it is in ruins. Rune has been quite busy with himself. He reshape the coral reef districts into a dystopian ghetto. The buildings were all wrecked beyond belief, several other sea mammals became livestock against their will, the meravins were all suffering in despair and the royal family are being held hostage under Rune's thumb. Despite of his latest conquest, Rune is still not satisfied. He feels that there's so many other things in the world to destroy and then conquer. But he hasn't forgotten about the time that the youngest princess and her friends had escaped his grasp, along with the fisherman mercenary. The thought of that day really angers him. The monster Atlantean brute believes that no one, human or other creature, would dare to fight back nor even escape his relentless brutality. Whilst sitting on King Karpannus's throne, thinking to himself, Rune came to the conclusion of his new side goals. He sought to rectify his minor mistake, only by hunting down the princess and the mercenary himself. He gets up from the throne and he swam downward into the castle's lower chambers. He enters the Solarian prisons, where he kept the royal family locked up from behind stainless steel bars. There he hovers above the caged king, whom is stripped away from his title and is now weakened by the last battle with the muscular monster. The sea king glares upon the brute above him. And he too returned the same expressions of extreme prejudice and uncaring animosity.

"Look at you, old man! You don't appear to be well." taunted Rune, folding his arms proudly. "I hope I didn't break you during our fight earlier."

"You may have defeated me, you monster! But I shall not be broken! Even from you!" snarled King Karpannus.

"Hmph! Strong willed to the end, eh?" says Rune with a pleased expression. "How predictable of you! But don't worry! I'm always up for a rematch. We will fight again soon enough. But first, I'm going out on a long errands run. I believe that girl is your daughter. And she is so rude to escape me with that young mercenary. I don't like that! The only one who should be rude around here is me! I'll make her remember that when I see her."

The enraged King Karpannus swam to the bars for he doesn't want Rune to harm his beloved daughter, Karphernie.

"No! You shall not lay your one hand on my daughter!" yelled the sea king. "Because if you do, I will have your head on a stake!"

"Haha! Now that is the funniest threat I've ever heard." laughed Rune in a nonchalant manner. "Between you and me, old man! Who's trapped behind the indestructible steel bars made out the finest scraps found on the ocean floor?"

King Karpannus grind his teeth out of anger and in utter frustration. Rune continues to tease the king's rage even further.

"Just as I thought." said Rune as he then turns to swim to the king's family. "So you all will be on your best behavior while I'm gone. Once I return with your little sister, I am going to enjoy playing with all of you to death."

"No! Oh no!" cried Countess Sarankia in fear.

"Hey, you big ugly freak!" shouted Ian through his prison. "You leave our sister alone!"

"Or you'll do what, boy!?" teased Rune as he reaches through the bar to pinch Ian's cheek. "Don't you forget that I'm bigger than you."

"Please! Just don't hurt our little sister!" cried Shara. "We beg of you!"

"Sorry little lady. Beggars can't be choosers." taunted Rune as he hovers away from the prison. "But I will hunt her down! And when I do, I'll keep her around a little bit longer, so she can watch everyone she ever loves, die by my hands! Then she will join all of you as I destroy you, one by one."

He ascend upwards to the upper castle grounds. The royal family looks up upon him in fear as Rune has one more thing to say before he can leave the prison.

"It is good chatting with you, your majesties! But I must be going!" Rune announced with a sinister demeanor. "Mock my words! I am going fishing for your precious youngest princess and the mercenary! I will find them, one way or the other! So I'll be back!"

The monster Atlantean storms out of the Solarian kingdom in hydro speed, leaving the meravins to wallow in despair in the wake of his destruction. Meanwhile in Seattle, the morning sun rises, shining its light upon the rural suburban area. Everyone in the condo is asleep. Including the princess and the mercenary. As the sunlight fills the guests room with light through the window, Karphernie awoken by its warm rays. She turns to gaze upon Ereque, whom overslept due to his nightly vigilance. The young woman shook her head, giggling softly. Then she gotten out of her bed and exits the guests room. The redhead young woman unwittingly wanders the hallway, admiring the strange expensive interior design of the house around her. As she heads down the stairs, her eyes are glued instantly to the enormous fish tank in the living room. Inside of the tank are numerous exotic species of fishes swimming about. The fishes immediately gave their attention to the princess for they all knew that she is not from here on the mainland. Karphernie is charmed by their response and she begins to interact with the fishes. It was not long before her innocent giggles awoken Julie and Noah, whom stayed up late watching two movies based on their interests. After hearing the innocent chuckling, the two friends were both completely appalled and bewildered by Karphernie's interactions with the fishes.

"Um who are you talking too?" Julie asked in bewilderment.

Karphernie turns to notice that they are awake.

"Oh! Uh... I'm just admiring the glass thingy that the fishes were swimming in." says Karphernie, blushing away in embarrassment.

"Well that is what we called a fish tank." said Noah, although a tad puzzled by the girl's behavior. "And that's where we keep our fish as a pet."

"As a pet?" wondered Karphernie.

"Yes. They're Erin's pets." says Noah with a puzzled expression.

"But are they happy to be far away from home?" Karphernie asked in discernment.

"Well Uh... sort of." says Noah, choking on his words.

"Oh! How horrible! We must return them back to the sea." Karphernie suggested.

"That's not up for us to decide." Noah quickly uttered. "You're gonna have to take it up with Erin about it. She's the only one who studies sea life."

"Ok! This lady is so weird." Julie whispered to Noah.

This just in, Erin came out of the restroom, fresh from the shower. She can hear her friends chatting with Karphernie downstairs. Curious to know what they're talking about, she went downstairs to see what is going on in her living room.

"And what are you guys up to in here?" asked Erin as she enters the living room.

They turn to notice Erin, who just came out of the shower and in her purple robes.

"Oh! Erin! You're awake!" exclaimed Julie. "Well we were just talking to our guest here."

"About what?" Erin wondered.

"Well um..." Noah said but he got interrupted.

"I was just having a conversation with your pet fishes." says Karphernie as she then continues her discernment. "And they all seemed very unhappy being held here in captivity."

"Why is that?" Erin asked in confusion.

"Because they miss their families and friends so much." said Karphernie. "They could be so much happier if you can free them from captivity. I beckon you to please return them to the sea. Otherwise, they will die of sadness. And that'll break my heart."

Erin doesn't know what to make of it. And just like her friends, she is slightly bewildered by the princess's request. All her life, she studied her hardest to learn about the sea creatures and their habitats. Which is why she has kept numerous species of fishes in the tank. So she can nurture them to their better health. Fortunately for Karphernie, the young woman took a calm approach to ensure the young princess that she is a marine biologist and the fishes in the tank is in good hands.

"You don't need to worry about them." says Erin in a calm manner. "I've been taking care of them all my life. As a marine biologist, it is my life's duty to study the oceans, its creatures and their habitats. So once they are healthy enough for one more week, I'll take them back to the water. You have my word."

"Oh you will?" Karphernie wondered.

"Yes I will." said Erin. "You can count on it."

"Oh that's wonderful to hear." says Karphernie happily.

"Now that's out of the way, I'm going to prepare breakfast for all of you before I leave." says Erin as she enters her kitchen.

"Wait! You're leaving us, Erin?" Karphernie asked.

"Yes I am, right after I finish cooking your breakfast." says Erin, making a few egg omletes for her guests. "I have to work an extra shift today. I'm filling in for a colleague since she had an family emergency. Besides, I can use the extra shift to up my paid hours."

"Oh! Where do you work?" asked Karphernie.

"She works at the sea world in the Seattle Zoo." Noah answered, chiming in the conversation.

"The Sea World?" Karphernie wondered. "Is that where she keeps all of the ocean's creatures?"

"Oh she doesn't keep all of them, sweetheart." says Julie as she sits down by the kitchen table. "The Zookeepers does. She just takes care of the sea animals."

Oh! She does." Karphernie uttered beamfully. "I would love to come visit the Sea World and say hello to all of the creatures."

"Yeah well, maybe someday." says Erin as she serves breakfast plates to her guests. "Breakfast is served."

Julie notice that the mercenary is still sleeping upstairs.

"Uh, is someone gonna go wake the blonde hottie upstairs?" asked Julie. "His breakfast is going to get cold."

"I'll go wake him up." sighed Noah, getting up from the table.

He heads up the stairs to the guests room. Upon entering the guests room, Ereque is still sleeping in his bed. As Noah is about to awake him, Ereque immediately grips holds of the young man's neck. He pins him to the floor, aiming his gun at the forehead. Noah gasps for his breath.

"Relax, man! I just came to get you!..." Noah uttered, gasping for air. "We're all having breakfast downstairs... So please... stop choking me..."

Ereque finally calms down a bit, releasing his tight grip off of Noah's throat.

"Don't ever surprise me like that again." sneered Ereque as he lowers his guard.

Noah rubs his neck as he gets up from the floor. Then the two young men went downstairs to join the ladies in the kitchen. During the morning meal, Ereque glances down at the food for he doesn't know what to do with it. After all the many times he has been on the mainland for mercenary missions and he still couldn't grasp the concept of eating human food. But he isn't the only one who hasn't tried it. Karphernie herself is also puzzled by the food for she hasn't tried human food either. Although they're slightly bewildered by their behavior, Erin broke her silence as she urges the two estranged guests to eat their breakfast.

"I take it that you two haven't eaten anything like this before." said Erin.

"What is it?" wondered Karphernie, poking her food."

"It's called an egg omelet." says Erin as she shows them how to eat. "Go on! It's delicious."

Karphernie and Ereque both look at one another, utterly confused and puzzled. Then they both try to pick up the omelet with their hands. Julie and Noah both became very puzzled by their weird behaviors. Erin shows them the silverware right next to their plates.

"Here! You use the forks to eat it." says Erin, showing the two how to eat an egg omelet.

Just as how she demonstrates it by using the fork to eat the omelet. Then Karphernie and Ereque pick up the forks, pick up a piece of the egg omelet and ate it. Karphernie can't believe how delicious the omelet was, the minute she tasted it.

"Mmmm! It's so good!" says Karphernie as she ate another piece of her breakfast. "It tastes like sea sponges."

"Ummm... Right..." said Julie in bewilderment.

Ereque too was enjoying his first taste of human food. He ate the entire breakfast off his plate with a single mouthful bite. Ever for a brooding mercenary, Ereque finished his breakfast with a sip of the orange juice. They were all stunned by the two strangers and their inhumanly appetite. Now Erin has to wash the dishes and clean up her kitchen before she goes get ready for her shift. And so did her friends whom too were getting dressed in their downstairs guests room. Since Karphernie and Ereque were the only ones who didn't have any other clothes to wear, Erin allows the redhead princess to borrow some of her clothes for the time being. Noah has to go shopping for some new clothes for Ereque. So he urged the young mercenary to tag along with him. Julie volunteers to take Karphernie with her on a shopping trip, since Erin can't go with them at the time. Once they're all inside of Noah's van, he drove off the driveway and onto the road to downtown Seattle. After a quarter mile from the highway, Noah drops Erin off at her job. Then they are all on their way to the mall. While on the city's busiest streets, Karphernie gaze out the window. She admires her new surroundings as she sees a lot of vehicles and the people inside who are driving them. From the sidewalks, there are a lot of street performers entertaining the bystanders with music in order to make a quick buck. Next are the cyclists passing by the cars on the other lane. From a short mile due westbound, they all finally have arrived at the mall. Once they are inside the mall, Karphernie is at awe of the numerous shopping stores in the building. Not only that, the mall is filled with thousands of people who have come to shop, eat at the food courts, see a movie and mostly hang out with their friends. Ereque has his hydro gun on him, shall anything out of the ordinary comes to threaten them. But Noah suggests that he shouldn't carry a weapon on himself in a crowd full of people, especially when there is security on every corner of the mall. As much as he doesn't want to give up his weaponry, Ereque finally changed his mind and store his remaining gears into the backpack, with the exception of Karphernie to help convince the mercenary to let his guard down for a little while. During the meantime, they split up into groups of two. Julie will take Karphernie with her to shop at a few stores, while Noah takes it upon himself to try having a guys time with Ereque, as well as shopping for new clothes. Although he is fearful of what Ereque might do to him, Noah still tries to talk to him about every thing. He wants to get to know him a little bit better. Alas Ereque eased up a tad bit and he finally opens himself up to the young man. Thus they both became good friends. At the same time, Julie took Karphernie into a feminine secret fashion store, where they can both try on some new couture from the famous fashion stylist from around the world. Karphernie is having fun trying on the latest fashions from blouses, to spring wear collection, to exquisite high heeled shoes and some jewelry. Then suddenly, Karphernie choose a splendid wardrobe that catches her eyes. It is an aquamarine summer dress along with shimmering leggings, a belt embedded with teal jewels and a pair of sea green heeled boots to match the colors of the ocean. Thankfully, Julie did save up all of her money to pay for the outfits, both for herself and for the ones Karphernie has picked out. Now they get to rock their clothes off with style. So the two young women went to the second floor, to treat themselves with a frozen fruit smoothies before meeting up with the guys. Karphernie has never tried a frozen fruit smoothie before in her life. So being the adventurous princess that she is, Karphernie chose a tropical fruit flavored smoothie and then tasting the delicious beverage for the first time. During the stroll down the aisle, they were stopped by two tall guys whom were both checking them out. And then the guys started to flirt with the ladies. It was only just a harmless fun in a flirtatious way, but then the other guy tries to enforce his affections onto Karphernie. He is bluntly captivated by her rare beauty and her vibrant ombré red hair. He is so bewitched by her otherworldly charm that he wanted to make her, his prized possessed girlfriend. Against her will or otherwise. Before the guy can make his move onto Karphernie, Ereque came out of nowhere and twist the guy's arm. The two tall guys were about to retaliate against him, but only to be intimidated by his cold brooding glare. Then the two immediately backed off and then walk away. Noah catch up with Ereque, long after the minor confrontation is over. Julie and Karphernie are both happy to see them. As the group of friends continues to stroll down to the first floor, Karphernie is astonished by Ereque's new wardrobe. The young strong mercenary is sporting his emerald green sleeveless shirt, a chain of dog tags around his neck, charcoal colored fingerless gloves on his hands, grayish blue cargo trousers and a pair of the rarest boots worn on his feet. He looks good in the outfits that Noah paid a significant amount of money for. After hanging out at the mall all afternoon, the group finally left the building. Whilst heading down eastbound on the parking lot to his van, Noah unlocks the back trunk for his friends to placed their shopping bags into the back. During the moment, Ereque is mesmerized by Karphernie's new land dwelling human look.

"Well? How do I look, Ereque?" Karphernie asked as she twirls around to show off her new human fashion.

"You look incredibly beautiful." says Ereque.

"Why thank you." beamed Karphernie happily. "Julie told me the exact same thing herself."

"Yeah, she does." says Ereque, folding his arms in amusement.

Julie turns to Noah with a funny look on her face.

"And to think that you said that I have expensive tastes." Julie said in a sarcastic manner.

"You still do." says Noah as he gets into his van.

As the group all got into the young man's van, Noah turns on the engine. He backed his van out of the parking spot and then he proceeds to drive out from the parking lot, leaving the mall grounds. Meanwhile on the other side of town, the beach goers are having fun at the beaches and bystanders were admiring the scenery on the pier. Underneath the Elliot bay waters, Uriel and Phyllis whom were still hiding in the fighter ship amongst the sunken cargos, they were both worrying about their friend Karphernie.

"Oh I hope they'll be okay up there." winced Phyllis, gazing up at the surface. "Especially Karphernie. She is all alone up there, surrounded by surface dwelling humans."

"Don't worry, Phyllis. She's with the Moon-Shade Fisherman guy." reassured Uriel. "He swore that he won't let anything bad happen to her. Otherwise, he will be sorry for it later on."

"It's not the Fisherman mercenary that I'm worried about, Uriel." says Phyllis as she swim around the seats in discernment. "It's that Rune monster. The one who nearly tried to kill us. He really scares me, especially when he takes pleasure into harming everyone who gets in his way. We have no idea what happened to the royal family back in the Solarian palace. What if he-."

"No! Don't think such things like that." says Uriel, interrupting the saltwater fairy fish. "We must have fate in our princess and the mercenary. We have to trust the fact that they will find Aquaman in time. So don't give up hope just yet."

"You're right, Uriel." sighed Phyllis, taking a deep breath. "I mustn't dread over this. I'm sure that she'll be okay as long as she is with that mercenary guy. And as soon as they find Aquaman; King of Atlantis, the better chance we have for him to stop that mean ol' monster Rune."

This just in, a loud pounding noise erupted on the rusting surface of the cargo. The two little sea creatures were both startled by the sound. Before they both knew it, the doors were torn open and then tossed away across the seabed. From the blinding light upon the surface outside the bay, a silhouette of a inhuman male monster appears. And then, he enters the cargo, where the Solarian fighter ship is residing. That monster is Rune himself.

"Umm...speaking of you know who, he just happen to found our ship!" panicked Uriel. "Quickly! We have to hide!"

He grabs Phyllis with his little tentacles and he drags her with him to a small area of the ship in order to hide from the aquatic tyrant. Rune discovers the fighter ship hidden inside of the cargo. He remembers that Ereque has used it to help Karphernie and her friends escape from his grasp. The thought of that day still enrages him. He swam over to the ship's shield, opens it up and starts to investigate the inside of the warring artifact. Phyllis and Uriel quietly hold their breath for they fear that a single sound will give them away. Rune used his sense of smell to pick up on their scent. Upon sniffing the seats, he finally got the scent of the two aquatic youngsters.

"I know they are here." Rune muttered to himself. "And they must've taken cover around here, somewhere."

Phyllis and Uriel peeked out from the hiding spot. They both watch in horror as Rune used his sense of smell to sniff out the essence of Princess Karphernie and Ereque. Their scent is faint but it was not long before he knew it led him to the surface above the watery bay. Rune was pleased and irritated at the same time.

"Oh they think that they can escape me by going to the dry realm of the surface dwelling humans." says Rune with a grin. "Ha! Those two young fools! They will soon realize that nowhere is safe from me. No dry land will stop me from destroying them and those who dare to challenge my wrath!"

The tyrannical Atlantean monster man follows the scent to the surface of the Elliot bay. As soon as he left the sunken cargo, Phyllis and Uriel swam out of hiding.

"Oh no! This is bad!" panicked Phyllis out of fear. "This is so bad!"

"You're right. It's not good at all." says Uriel, swimming up to Phyllis's side. "We can't just sit around here and do nothing."

"Well what are we gonna to do?" Phyllis wondered fearfully.

This just in, the cuttlefish has an idea.

"The Moon-Shade Fisherman said that we're not going to be much of a help up there." says Uriel as he then turns to Phyllis. "So we are going to help them out from the water as much as possible."

"How!?" wondered Phyllis.

He swam over to the ship's control panel.

"I think I know how to be useful." said Uriel as he tinkers with the buttons. "It's just a matter of figuring things out. We owe it to Karphernie, and to everyone else in both worlds. So we have to try, Phyllis."

So the cuttlefish tinkers with the ship's controls, until he unwittingly press the power button to start the engines. Although he is fearful of Rune, Uriel screw his courage to the sticking place and he use his wits to take control of the ship. Phyllis too casts her fears aside and she went to lend a helping flipper. Together, they both hover the ship out of the cargo and navigate through the open waters. Meanwhile upon the surface, the beachfront is crowded with families and spring breakers. In the shallow end of the water, a mother is playing with her two daughters. One little girl pretends to be a seafaring sailor and the other girl pretend to be an enchanted mermaid. As the family frolic across the water, they unknowingly were confronted by a terrifying sight as Rune emerges from the water. Standing terrifyingly tall over the mother and her children, Rune glares down upon them.

"BOO!" Rune teased the family.

The mother screams along with her daughters. She quickly grabs her kids and ran out of the water. Other beach goers were all frightened of Rune's appearance and they too ran away from him. The lifeguards left their posts as well, due to their fear of the manly sea beast. As the chaos ran amok on the beach, Rune takes his time strolling from the water to the shoreline, walking barefoot whilst pressing his long webbed toes into the warm sand. Although he could harm everyone around him if he wanted to, but he didn't feel like doing just that. He is focusing on his new mission. And that is to hunt Karphernie and Ereque down. So he continues making his way into the city, terrorizing everybody that is unfortunate to cross paths with him. On the other side of downtown, Noah drove a quarter mile just to pick up Erin from her job. During the time, Julie is starting to warm up a bit to Karphernie, despite the fact that she is still bewildered by the redhead young woman's curiosity of the dry mainlands. At the same time, Ereque is beginning to openly warm up to Noah. Just as he makes a right turn on the West Blaine Street, suddenly a horde of people came running down the street southbound. They were all screaming and panicking, all the while disrupting the traffic hour. The group were surprised by the unexpected phenomenon.

"What the hell is going on here?" Noah wondered with a puzzled expression.

"Wow! That's a lot of people." says Julie as she looks out the window.

"I wonder what they are running from?" wondered Karphernie.

Ereque gaze out the window, towards the direction of where the citizens were running from. From the far left view, he noticed a seven foot tall muscular figure stomping his way up the street, shoving the cars roughly aside with his brute strength. Bystanders gasped in terror as he damage the buildings by throwing cars and other vehicles through the walls. Before the mercenary knew it, that monster man is Rune. And he has tracked their scent all the way from the water to the dry land.

"Oh Neptune's beard! It's him!" shouted Ereque alarmingly.

"How did he find us!?" Karphernie gasped in horror.

"Who found us!?" Julie questioned in shock.

Ereque turns to Noah in an urgent matter.

"Get us out of here now!" Ereque demands Noah.

"What!? Why!?" asked Noah in confusion.

"If you wanna live, JUST DO IT!" yelled Ereque.

So without a slightest of hesitation, Noah puts his van into a four-wheel drive mode, shifts his gear and immediately drove off onto another street. Rune turns his sights on the brown red van. With the use of his newly adapted supervision, he spots Karphernie and Ereque along with two other human beings. The towering beast of a Atlantean man abruptly drops the bus stand and begins to go after the fleeing van.

"A chase, huh?" said Rune with a rough exterior. "Sounds like fun! Well then, ready or not! Here I come!"

With the use of his strong powerful legs, Rune runs after the young man's van. Noah speeds his van down the street, evading the other cars and pedestrians whilst desperately trying to outrun Rune. But he nearly catches up to the van. Although he is having a slight difficulty adapting to the dry environment, due to the winds drying him out, Rune still pushes himself through the modern terrain in an attempt to catch his targets. The bystanders watch in horror as Rune is getting dangerously too close to Noah's van.

"I can't shake him off of us!" Noah panicked. "He's too fast!"

Ereque grabs his weapons out from the backpack. And he then unfastens his seatbelt.

"I'm going to help you out as possibly as I can!" shouted Ereque as he then rolls down the van's window.

"What are you doing!?" Noah questioned the mercenary.

"I'm going to to shoot him off!" says Ereque, readying his hydropower handgun. "You just focus on driving the machine beast!"

He pokes himself out from the passenger's window and starts blasting at the towering aquatic brute. Ereque is buying Noah some time, so he can put the pedal to the metal. Bystanders watch in horror as Rune continues to pursue Noah's van on the road. Rune is feeling quite annoyed with Ereque's attempts to slow him down during the horrific pursuit.

"Your puny little water guns can't hurt me!" yelled Rune under his panting breath. "I will not rest until I kill you, the princess and everyone else around you! MOCK MY WORDS!"

Julie is horrified by this situation. She has never been involved in a terrifying chase before in her life. And let alone, being pursued by an inhuman creature no less. Karphernie too is terrified of this ordeal. As Rune is about to grab hold of Noah's van from the rear bumper, Ereque blasts the traffic signs from above, smacking the monster brute in the face. It stunned him long enough for Noah to quickly zoom away from the scene. As Rune gets up from his minor injury, he finds himself confronted by the Seattle's city police officials. Unfortunately, not even the cops could stop this angry Atlantean tyrant from pursuing his targets. So in a fit of rage, Rune plunders the police cars one by one. Now that all of the cops has fallen, Rune runs off to continue his relentless pursuit. Meanwhile at the Zoo, Erin is just about to finish her shift afterwards. She checked on the aquatic mammals in the aquarium one last time before clocking out. Then she heads out the door after saying her goodbyes to the other employees. The minute she exits out of the Zoo's entrance, Erin was stunned to see a lot of people running away in the opposite direction. The young woman has no idea what was going on. Then suddenly, a recognizable brown red van zoomed up to the curb and abruptly stops to where she stood. It was Noah and the rest of the gang who came to get her.

"Erin! You have to get in! Quick!" shouted Noah in fear.

"Why? What's going on?" Erin wondered in confusion.

"We don't have time to explain!" shouted Ereque. "Get inside the beast right now!"

"Okay! Okay! I'm getting in!" says Erin as she hurriedly hops into her friend's van.

Then Noah doves away from the Zoo in high speed. While inside the van, Erin has no idea what is going on. But before she knew it as well as everyone else in the vehicle, a huge figure rammed through the buildings wall on the North 62nd street behind them. That monstrous figure is Rune. And he turns to notice the van zooming as far away from him as possible.

"I found you, landrats!" yelled Rune as he runs after them. "You will not escape me!"

The brooding Atlantean monster man continues to pursue them at an ungodly high speed. He chased them all the way from the city's grounds to the highways' bridges over the harbor. Rune used his brute strength to ram the other vehicles out of his way while he is right behind Noah's van. Erin gasps in horror as Rune is catching up to them. Underneath the highways and in the harbor's waters, Uriel steers the fighter ship upward bound, with the assistance of Phyllis who voluntarily became his co-pilot. The Solarian ship emerge from the water. The aquatic computer viewed the horrific chase happening on the highways above the harbor. They both knew it was Rune. And he is chasing after the van whilst endangering other people that gets in his way. If Uriel and Phyllis don't do something right away, hundreds of people would be killed during this brute's rampaging pursuit. So Uriel tampered with the ship's panel in hopes of finding something to help them out. He unwittingly press the button that activates the ship's hydro-plasma cannons that immediately locked onto Rune as its target. On the highways above, Rune jumps into the air and makes an attempt to pounce onto Noah's van, to destroy all five of them inside. So without hesitation, Uriel smash the button with his three tentacles. The cannons fired off at Rune, blasting him off the highways. Thus the tyrant fell back into the watery harbor below. Now the gang above is safe to escape forward on the highway due east. During that endeavor, the young adults were all relieved that the chase is over. Noah drives his van off the highway.

"Well that was close." Ereque sighed in relief.

"What the hell was that guy!?" Noah shouted, freaking out.

"That, my friends, is the sea monster we call Rune." says Ereque, putting his guns away in the bag. "And he is one pain in the tail. Trust me. I know."

"But how did he know where to find us?" questioned Karphernie. "And how did he adapt to the surface realm without struggle?"

"Again! I don't know." Ereque answered the princess. "Your guess is good as mines. But what I do know is that it's not safe for us to stay here any longer."

"Ummm you guys mind telling us what was going on here?" Erin asked the two.

"Yeah! We would like to know!" says Julie, chiming in the conversation.

Karphernie sighed heavily and she turns to explain their dire situation to the three humans.

"I'm so sorry that we dragged you guys into this." says Karphernie as she went on. "We didn't think he would actually come to the surface realm, to hunt us down. But it turns out that he can be quite adaptable to his surroundings, even on dry land."

As Karphernie explains herself and also on behalf of Ereque, it was not long before Erin had them all figured out.

"So let me get one thing straight." said Erin as she pieced the puzzle logically. "When you told us that you both are from the ocean, are you guys secretly Atlanteans?"

"Oh no. We're not Atlanteans." Karphernie chuckled awkwardly. "I'm a Solarian Carp meravin. And Ereque is an Moon-Shade fisherman."

"Wait! Say what!?" says Julie in utter shock.

"Oh come on! You must be joking!" Noah says in bewilderment. "There's no way that you two can be from the ocean."

"It is all true actually." said Ereque. "We've been telling you that from the moment we have this fateful encounter one night before."

"Ugh! I can't believe what I'm hearing." Noah mummered quietly.

Julie turns to ask Karphernie a question.

"So if you two are from the water, then may I ask what made you guys want to come up here on dry land?" Julie asked.

"Well part of the reason is that I wanted to see other worlds beyond the pacific waters." Karphernie said humorously. "But however, that's not why we up here."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Erin.

"Allow me to explain the rest of our story." said Ereque as he sets the record straight. "We are only up here to flee from that monster Rune. As you all can see, we are on a mission to the Atlantic Ocean, to the great underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Therefore, we can go ask Aquaman for help. He is the only one who can help us stop Rune. Otherwise, that monster will bring destruction wherever he goes. It's already bad enough that he has conquered Karphernie's kingdom of Solaria. If he wanted to, he will do the same to the other kingdoms. And then maybe the surface realm would be next on his bucket list. No one in either world would be safe, unless we find Aquaman to stop Rune in his tracks."

"Yeah, about that..." says Erin, unsure of the circumstances. "Umm... how do I put this in context?... I don't think you'll find him in Atlantis."

"And why not?" Ereque questioned in a stern tone of voice.

"Well he is with the Justice League at the time." said Erin as she went on. "For the most part, he fights alongside with them. That's where he'll be."

Karphernie has never heard of the Justice League before in her life. She has seen them in the nearly water-corrupted video vlogs back in the sunken laboratory under the Pacific Ocean. But she never knew about them, let alone, even met them. The redhead princess turns to Erin to ask her about the superheroes that she had mentioned.

"What is the Justice League?" asked Karphernie.

"The Justice League is a huge group of superheroes banding together to fight against the injustices of criminals everywhere in the world." said Erin as she continues explaining to the young woman. "The Justice League is lead by the famous heroes of all; Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and so many other superheroes. Even the ones that we never knew about until now."

"And speaking of which, where were they when we were getting chased down by this Rune guy?" wondered Noah. "Shouldn't they be the ones handling him?"

"Well no one has seen them for almost three months." said Erin.

"Really? Three months?" Karphernie wondered. "What happened to them?"

"Who knows? All we know is that they mysteriously disappeared and nobody has heard from them since." said Erin.

"Rumor has it that they're on an otherworldly mission to stop an evil alien invasion." added Julie.

"So there's no hope left?" Karphernie uttered in a quieter tone of voice.

"Don't say that, Karphernie." Ereque chimed in strongly. "We will find him. And he will help us. He's gotta have to. So don't give up just yet."

The group became silent afterwards throughout the ride back to Erin's loft. Once they made it back to her place, they all went to bed early. Not just because of fear, but rather out of exhaustion due to the terrifying chase earlier. Meanwhile, in the waters of the Seattle harbor, Rune tends to his minor wounds from the unknown plasma blast during his pursuit of Karphernie and Ereque. Not only that, he is still struggling to adapt to the dry environment above the water. But he won't let the dry mainlands stop him from completing his conquest. As he emerge from the water for the last time, Rune slowly learns to adapt to his dry surroundings and use his newly powers to hunt them down. Unfortunately for him, he is not the only one who is a threat around here. From the harbor, Rune's actions is being monitored by none other than the pirates, lead by Black Manta himself. He has been observing the Atlantean's movements for a few hours, since when he approach to the beachfront of Seattle. Then he thought to him about this situation. If he can use Rune to aid the attack against Aquaman and his wife Mera, then his conquest would be complete. So Black Manta plans his next move. He would help Rune with his end goals, and Rune would help him destroy Aquaman, once and for all. Black Manta grins ominously as he patiently awaits for the time to meet with Rune when their paths are crossed. Thus the other heroes will be in even more peril in the future than they already have been before.


End file.
